Picarones

Ingredients

• 250 g Orange sweet potato
• 250 g Butternut squash
• 300 g T55 wheat flour
• 7 g Active dry yeast
• 15 g Granulated sugar
• 1 pinch Fine salt
• 1 tsp Green anise seeds
• 1 l Sunflower oil
• 250 g Panela or muscovado sugar
• 250 ml Water
• 1 piece Untreated orange
• 1 piece Lime
• 1 piece Cinnamon stick
• 2 pieces Clove

Method

1. Peel the sweet potato and squash, cut them into pieces, then cook them in a pot of water with the anise seeds until they mash without resistance under a fork.
2. Drain while reserving a little of the infused cooking water, then mash the sweet potato and squash into a smooth purée; let it cool until the purée is warm to the touch, never hot.
3. Mix the yeast with the sugar and a little warm cooking water; let it foam until you see a lively, slightly bubbly surface.
4. Fold in the purée, flour, and salt, then work the dough by hand or with a spatula until you get a sticky, soft, and elastic texture, closer to a batter than bread dough.
5. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough clearly puffs up and smells slightly of gentle fermentation.
6. During the rise, prepare the syrup: simmer the panela with the water, orange zest, a little lime juice, cinnamon, and cloves until the liquid becomes glossy, brown, and syrupy; strain and keep warm.
7. Heat the oil in a deep pot; it is ready when a small drop of dough quickly rises to the surface, bubbling without browning too fast.
8. Wet your fingers, grab a portion of dough, pierce the center to form a ring, then slide it into the oil; fry until the picarones are fully puffed, golden, and crispy on the edges.
9. Drain on paper towels, then serve immediately with the warm syrup poured generously over the top.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

781.2 kcal

Protein

10.37 g

Carbohydrate

137.85 g

Fat

21.73 g

Fibre

8.68 g

Calcium

112.14 mg

Iron

1.88 mg

Magnesium

58.05 mg