Rainy day fritters

Name: Rainy day fritters (Tortas fritas)
Cuisine: Argentine
Ingredients: lard, or vegetable oil for frying; lard, or vegetable oil for frying; caster (superfine) sugar, for dusting; 15 g/½ oz fresh yeast; 75 g/3 oz/6 tbsp lard or white cooking fat, diced; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; 150 ml/¼ pint/⅔ cup tepid water; 15 ml/1 tbsp salt; 500 g/1¼ lb/4½ cups strong white flour; 75 g/3 oz/6 tbsp lard or white cooking fat, diced; 30 ml/2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

Tortas fritas

Preparation info

Makes
12

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Food and Cooking of Argentina

By Cesar Bartolini

Published 2014

About

The words tortas fritas translate as ‘fried cakes’ and the custom of eating these on rainy days with yerba mate tea can be traced back to the gauchos, who when camping out in la pampa would collect rainwater to make the mixture.

Ingredients

500 g/1¼ lb/4½ cups strong white flour
15

Americas
Argentina
la pampa
Starter

Method

Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Add the lard and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Blend the yeast and water together and add to the mixture with the eggs. Stir everything together to make a