Probably you know that the Carnival season all around the world is at the beginning of the year, and Angel Wings is a popular seasonal treat in Hungary.
The Hungarian Carnival, called Farsang starts on 6th January -Epiphany- and lasts till Ash Wednesday when -according to Christian traditions- the 40 days Lent begins and ends at Easter. But before starting the actual Lent, we do the opposite: celebrate, organize masquerade balls and of course eat yummy food without any regulations. A few decades or centuries ago this time of the year was the quietest at villages since the spring farm work hasn't begun yet and the cold was so helpful to store large amounts of food easily people held feasts, weddings more likely.
The high-point of Farsang is always the last three days called 'The tail of Farsang', but the date depends on the dates of Easter, so it's always changing. It starts from Farsang Sunday and ends on Shrove Tuesday when hay scarecrows were burnt to send winter on its merry way. In these final days meant the last chance to have fun and eat all the best food before they start to manage their everyday life according to the strict regulation of Lent which lasts until Easter.
Of course in Hungary, we traditionally prepare some of our specific Carnival dishes, so I share the recipe of the most popular we call 'Csörögefánk'.
Ingredients
Dough
- 250 g flour
- 50 g lard or butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 heaped tbsp icing sugar
- 4-5 tbsp creme fraiche
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp rum
Other
- 500 ml oil - for deep fry
- Jam - for serving
- Vanilla icing sugar - for serving, click on the link if you would like to prepare it at home
Instructions
- Mix the dough ingredients in a food processor till they are roughly combined then finish the kneading by hand.
- Wrap the dough into cling film and place it into the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Remove the dough from. the fridge and roll it to get about 2 mm thin dough.
- Cut into rectangular (5x10 cm) or square shapes, then cut in the middle of each, fold over one corner of the rectangular through this hole and repeat this with each little dough piece.
- Deep fry them in oil until they turn golden brown.
- While they are still hot, cover them with vanilla icing sugar and serve with your favourite jam!
Angel Wings - Photo by © Reka Csulak
