ZEPPOLE

Ingredients

Preparation

For the dough

1. In a saucepan, combine the milk, butter, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil while mixing, over medium-high heat. Add the flour and mix the dough with a wooden spoon until it becomes smooth and peels off the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and transfer the dough to a bowl to let cool.
2. Once the dough is at room temperature, add the eggs one at a time, mixing with a hand mixer for about 1 minute after each addition. 

For the filling

1. In a large bowl, cream the ricotta with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, lemon zest, and the vanilla seeds. Cream until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set aside half of the filling mix. Add the spread to the other half and combine well.  

Assembly

1. Fill a 21-inch pastry bag with a starburst tip halfway with dough. Form a ring of dough (like a donut) on each square of parchment paper.
2. Fill a large pot halfway with vegetable oil and heat to 350 °F over medium-high heat. Slide two dough rings at a time, with their parchment paper, into the oil. The paper will detach during the cooking process and can then be removed from the oil.
3. Cook the rings for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown. The dough will expand as they cook. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.
4. When all the cooked dough rings have cooled, fill 2 pastry bags: one with the plain filling and one with the hazelnut spread filling. 
5. Cut each ring of dough in half lengthwise. Make the zeppole by covering the bottom half with the filling of your choice and then placing the other half on top. 
6. Top with a dollop of filling, an Amarena cherry, and a sprinkle of icing sugar. Serve.