Do you have a pen and paper out?  You're going to want to write this down.  Then you're going to want to email your friends and tell them you're having them over this weekend to make ricotta fritters.  Maybe though, you'll just tell them you're making doughnuts, or elephant ears.  I really don't care what you tell them, but I do care that you carefully and thoughtfully consider making these.



They are good- real good.  In fact, one night we made them, then just a few days later we made them for my family.  I have now fried things three times in my life.



You probably just need to go to the store and buy ricotta because everything else is in your pantry.



Recipe thanks to the Epicurious Ap, but really, thanks to Gourmet

Ingredients:
4-6 cups vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup whole milk ricotta
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
confectioners sugar for dusting.





Ready?  Excited?  I am.

Fill up your pot with about 1 1/2 inches of oil.  Get it hot, and see if it's ready by dropping just a little bit of the batter in and seeing how easily it sizzles and cooks.

Batter:
Whisk together the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.  Add the wet to the dry and stir to combine.

In batches, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter at a time into the hot oil.  When they're going, they'll start to turn on their own though you can help them along if need be.  They'll get really golden and be in there for about 3-4 minutes.  You can put your knife in the first batch (of one) just to make sure it cooked through.

Dust generously with powdered sugar and enjoy!  These will go fast and are super fun to make with a crowd!