ZEPPOLI

Every year we used to go to the feast of San Genaro in Little Italy in New York. It is in the second week of September and it has been going on for many, many years. This is an event that wasn't to be missed. Every type of food is cooked right there on the streets that are closed off to all traffic for the entire time the feast is going on. The smells of all that food cooking just makes you hungry and you want to try everything. There are stands selling clams on the half shell, fried soft shell crabs, pizza, sausage and peppers, hoagies of all kinds, meatballs and many more things. But you can not go to the feast without having a bag of Zeppoli. The vendors have these huge kettles of oil boiling away and drop the dough into it and serve them to you hot out of the kettle sprinkled with powdered sugar. You think you can't eat another thing but there is always room for Zeppoli because they really are light. People walk around eating from stand to stand right there in the street. It is such a fun time and everyone is so friendly and happy. The music is great too. There are bands playing all this Italian music and at night the singers get going and people just dance in the street. On the last night of the feast there is a parade with the statue of San Genaro held high by the people of that parish. The Saint is on display the whole time and people go up and pin money onto it to help the parish.

When I was a child, our neighborhood celebrated the feast of San Paolo (St. Paul). The statue of the Saint was mounted on a platform that was wide enough for about 30 men to get under it and lift it only with their shoulders and dance with it. The whole thing had to be 8-10 feet high and my God-father (who was a musician) Lou DelGuidice used to stand up on the platform and play his trumpet while the men swayed with the platform. It was a sight never to be forgotten. The exciting part came when the men used to switch from their right shoulder to their left shoulder and the whole thing used to bounce. You had to see it to believe it. I can still see it and see my father there with the other men holding this up. It sure made for thirsty work.

Now for the recipe:

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package yeast
1 cup warm water

Oil for frying
Powdered Sugar

Directions

Mix 1/2 cup of water with the yeast. In large bowl put the flour and mix in the 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of sugar. When yeast is disolved add to the flour and water and mix together. Turn out onto a board sprinkled with flour and knead until dough comes to a smooth ball. Place in a bowl and cover it and let rise till double in bulk. Heat oil in a deep pot or fryer. To test if oil is hot enough for frying, take a little piece and put into oil, if it floats up to the top the oil is hot enough. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut and drop into oil. Fry until they are golden brown, turn over while frying. Drain on paper towels and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.