Anise Rosquitos is a traditional Gibraltarian recipe for a classic dish of beef with onion, carrots and tomato that's blended with penne pasta before serving. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Gibraltarian version of: Anise Rosquitos.
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These are seasonal dessert treats from Gibraltar, typically eaten for Christmas and Easter.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
450g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
115g sugar
115g butter
For frying:
1l of olive oil/sunflower oil
1 strip of lemon zest
1 strip of orange zest
For the syrup:
300g granulated sugar
180ml of water
Glug of anise liqueur (optional)
Method:
For the dough: Beat the eggs with the sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is pale yellow and creamy.
In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Diced the butter, add to the flour and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture a little at a time and mix well between each addition. Keep on mixing until the dough is well combined and all the wet and dry ingredients have been thoroughly combined.
Take out of the bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface (if necessary) for a minute or so to work the flour.
Take enough of the resultant dough to form a ball about 3cm in diameter.
Roll the ball between your hands to make a cylinder (rope) about 1cm thick. Grab both ends of the cylinder bring them together and make a ring by joining both ends. We usually put these side by side on the work surface and cover with a kitchen cloth as we are making them to help them rise a little.
To fry the bosquitos: Pour 1l of your chosen oil into a deep pan and set over medium-high heat. Place the pared lemon and orange zests in the oil and watch them start to sizzle and fry as the oil heats up. Keep the peel frying until it is brown and crispy or is no longer sizzling. This should take about 10 minutes, and then remove from the oil. This will release all the citrus oils into the frying oil and lightly flavour the rings.
Reduce the heat slightly to a medium, and add the dough rings to the oil, about 5 or 6 at a time. These will initially sink to the bottom and start to sizzle and froth. This will quickly subside and the rings will start to rise. Turn over with a spoon and continue flipping over until both sides are a golden brown honey colour. They will also puff up and within about 3 to 4 minutes they should be cooked. If the oil is too hot they will burn, if it is too low it will get soggy, so a medium heat is essential. Remove the rings when ready using a slotted spoon and add the next batch.
Transfer them in a colander to drain in case there is any excess oil, but they should be dry as you take them out of the oil. Fry the next batch.
To glaze the rosquitos: To prepare the syrup to glaze the rings you need 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. For this amount about 300g of sugar and 180ml of water are usually enough. Combine the sugar and water (along with the anise liqueur if using) in a pan over medium heat until it starts bubbling and bring the heat down to a gentle simmer. Allow the syrup to reduce enough so that it is sticky to the touch (with caution!), this should happen after about 15 minutes.
Dunk 3 or 4 doughnuts at a time and baste in the syrup so they are completely covered.
Take out of the syrup and place on a serving tray. Allow them to cool before eating, and there is no need to drainin the excess syrup.
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