My aunt was married to a Sicilian-American and it was from her that I learned most of my Italian food recipes. She, in turn, learned from her mother-in-law, Inez Valenti, otherwise known to all of us as Nana. She wasn’t my grandmother but I always felt like she was and I never called her by any name other than Nana. 
She was the sweetest, kindest person you will ever know. I remember going to her home with my cousins on many occasions and Nana would not only give you a bear hug, but she could plant 4 or five kisses on you within seconds. Loved that lady.
One of Nana’s specialties was a dessert called Sfingi. Sfingi is a very popular pastry that originated in Sicily. Like churros are to Spaniards, sfingi is popular at Christmas time and, for Sicilians, also popular to serve during the holy day of San Giuseppe. They are related to the Italian Zeppole, which hails from Italy and especially popular in Rome and Naples. Zeppole’s traditionally include ricotta in the recipe and some recipes for Sfingi will also call for it. However, Nana’s recipe had no ricotta and that’s the one I have recaptured from my youth with the help of my cousin, Inez, named after her paternal grandmother. Like so many of her generation, Nana didn’t measure anything, but my cousin was able to send me what she thought was the closest to Nana’s recipe. The American cousin of sfingi and zeppole would most closely resemble the donut hole. I still crave these light rounded pastries sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with honey.
Nana, this post is dedicated to you!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 Cup shortening
- 1 Cup water
- 1/4 Tsp salt
- 4 Unbeaten Eggs
- 1 Cup sifted flour
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Sift the salt and flour and set aside
- In a small pot, bring the shortening and water to a boil.
- Add the flour/salt mixture to the boiling water and whisk vigorously until the the dough pulls away from the side and the mixture is blended well and smooth.
- Remove from the stove.
- The dough will be hot so it will be necessary to temper the eggs before adding to the mixture so that they don’t scramble. To do this, crack the eggs, one at a time, in a bowl and add about a tablespoon of the dough and mix well until the dough is almost completely incorporated with the egg. Add one more tablespoon and do the same. Then add to the mixture.
- Add one egg at a time, vigorously blending until totally incorporated.
- Heat oil in a small deep fryer or pot to 325 to 350 degrees F. I like keeping it between those two temperatures.
- Using a measuring tablespoon or small cookie scoop, drop dough into heated oil. It’s a good idea to spray the spoon or scooper so that the dough separates easily from the utensil. Do not crowd them so that you are able to turn the balls of dough, browning evenly. Once they become a golden color, transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels.
- Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and drizzle with honey.
- Sfingis are best served warm, but I can eat them at any temperature.