A Shrove Tuesday Treat: Filhoses!

A Mardi Gras tradition in our house is Portuguese donuts!  It is very similar to Portuguese sweet bread but this dough is, of course, deep fried and sprinkled with copious amounts of sugar.

The recipe can be found in Foods of the Azores Islands by Deolinda Maria Avila.  There are many great recipes in this book, though it is hard to find.

Filhoses 

6 eggs

¼ cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

½ cup lukewarm water

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon whiskey

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 cups flour

Beat eggs, add sugar, butter, yeast dissolved in water, whiskey, lemon rind and salt.  Beat till light and add flour, kneading until smooth.  Cover dough with cloth and let rise till double in bulk.  Heat oil in a deep pan (I use my cast iron pan), keeping heat at about medium.

Take about 1/3 cup of dough and stretch it into an oval shape, piercing the middle.  Carefully, drop the dough into oil till golden, turning only once.  Remove from oil and cool on paper towels.

Serve warm sprinkled with sugar… and maybe bowl of sugar to dip them in too!!!

Enjoy!