Matzo Fritters (Überzogene Mazes)

photo taken by wintersoul1, on June 10, 2010, CC licensing

Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 2 or 3 tablespoons white wine
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 small pinch kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted matzo meal
- 2 sheets of unsalted matzo, each broken into 6 approximately 2" x 31/2" rectangles
- 3 cups canola oil
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: deep fryer or an 8"-diameter and 3 "-4"-deep pot deep-frying thermometer (unless your fryer has a thermostat) slotted spoon or skimmer

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 175°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, wine, sugar, and salt. Stir in the matzo meal, making sure that there are no lumps in the batter, and let it rest for about 10 minutes. The batter will thicken slightly. If necessary, add a little more wine by the teaspoonful (I had to add 3 teaspoons) to adjust the consistency, which should be similar to pancake batter. 2. Pour about 1" oil into a deep fryer or into a medium-sized pot or saute pan and warm it over medium heat to 375°F. Clip a deep-frying ther¬mometer to the side of your pot or fryer (if it is not thermostatically controlled) to measure the temperature of the oil. Make sure that the end of the thermometer is completely immersed and the tip doesn't touch the bottom. As soon as the oil reaches 370°F, adjust heat to medium-low, because the pot's residual heat will keep raising the tem¬ perature of the oil for a few seconds. (If you don't have a thermometer, see page 308 for an alternate way of measuring the temperature.) Reheat the oil to 375oF between batches. 3. Dip a piece of matzo into the. batter and lower it into the hot oil. Quickly, dip 2 more pieces and lower them in 1 layer into the oil. Don't fry more than 3 pieces at a time. Fry them about 15 seconds on each side, until their coating turns light golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon or skimmer and drain them on a wire rack set over paper towels. Continue coating and frying the pieces of matzo in batches of 3. Stir the batter before coating a new batch. I used a spoon to coat the last pieces of matzo because there wasn't enough batter left in the bowl to dip them. While you prepare a batch of fritters, keep the finished ones warm in the preheated oven on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. 4. Arrange the pieces on a serving dish. Mix confectioners' sugar and cin¬namon in a small bowl, pour the mixture into a small strainer and tap it over the pieces to generously dust them with sugar. Serve them as soon as possible, while they are still hot. 5. To reuse the oil, strain it through a paper towel and use it within two weeks, because it doesn't keep indefinitely. Discard the oil after the second use. Approximate time for preparation: about 25 minutes

Serves: 12 pieces

Sephardic or Askhenazi
Askhenazi