13 Feb Faworki for a Not so Fat Thursday
Angel wings, faworki, chrusty…
Faworki, also known as angel wings, are a Fat Thursday tradition in many Polish families. Fat Thursday is our Shrove Tuesday, a way to use up all our flour and fat before Lent, which starts a week later. Some prefer doughnuts, but faworki are so much simpler and quicker to make and you can eat lots without feeling sick. Personally, I have been known to eat six fresh doughnuts without feeling sick, however, that’s a skill that takes years of practise and some damn good pączki.
Polish Traditions
January and February are not quite as gloomy in Poland, because this is the time of Karnawał. While the Polish carnival season is not quite the same as it’s South American counterpart, it’s still a time of fun and merriment. In Poland, this usually means fancy dress house parties every weekend and huge food buffets with bigos, cold cuts, salads and pates. You might find faworki on such a buffet. Celebrating Fat Thursday rather than Shrove Tuesday means that we have one last, final week of merriment. One last, final week to stuff our faces with all the good stuff before Lent begins.
A not so fat Thursday
This year, we made our faworki lighter by using coconut oil for deep-frying, instead of rapeseed oil or lard. While many nutritionists complain that coconut oil is still high in saturated fat, it is actually quite unique in it’s composition and has many health benefits. My body feels quite different when eating things friend in coconut oil too. The faworki tasted delicious with that hint of coconut, and can report that I did not feel greasy or bloated after eating many.
A recipe for less fatty faworki (angel wings)
I use a bit of cinnamon mixed in with the icing sugar in this recipe, you could choose cardamom, if you prefer, or just straight up icing sugar. This recipe is modified from my original recipe in Polska cookbook.
Faworki for a Not so Fat Thursday
Cuisine: PolishDifficulty: IntermediateFaworki for Fat Thursday, Shrove Tuesday or any other time you fancy. A slightly healthier version.
Ingredients
250g plain flour
3 tablespoons soured cream
3 egg yolk
50g salted butter
1 tablespoon icing sugar (more for dusting)
2 tablespoon brandy
500g coconut oil for frying
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (mixed with 1 tablespoon icing sugar to dust)
Directions
- Sift the flour into a bowl, add the soured cream, egg yolks, butter and icing sugar. Mix together, then add the brandy and bring this together with your hands into a dough. Knead for 5min until smooth.
- Roll the dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough into thin rectangles. Cut a slit in the middle of each rectangle and thread one side through the slit.
- Melt the coconut oil on a large frying pan. Once it’s very hot, add a tiny bit of dough ot the pan, it should start bubbling immediately – that means the oil is ready. Deep fry the faworki for about 30 seconds on each side, the drain on kitchen towel. Once they have cooled down a bit, transfer to serving plate and dust with a mixture of icing sugar and a little cinnamon, if you wish.