Edda Servi Machlin For the Italian Jews orecchi di Aman are as synonymous with the festival of Purim as the Hamantachen are for the Ashkenazim. There are perhaps as many versions of this sweet as there are Jewish families in Italy. I regard this recipe as the finest. From this basic recipe you can create variations limited only by your own imagination. Ingredients2 eggs2 egg yolks1/4 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind3 tablespoons olive oil1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract2 tablespoons rum or brandy2 1/2 cups unbleached flour1 cup olive or other vegetable oil for fryingConfectioners sugar In a small bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks with sugar, salt, lemon rind, olive oil, vanilla extract, and rum or brandy. Gradually add enough flour to make a rather soft dough. Turn out onto a floured working surface and knead for 2 or 3 minutes. Roll very thin. With a pastry cutter or with a very sharp knife, cut into strips 1 inch by 4 to 7 inches. Slowly heat the oil in a small saucepan. Oil is at the right temperature when a small piece of dough dropped into it floats and begins to sizzle. Fry a few strips at a time, twirling them to give them odd shapes, until they are lightly golden. (Tie the longer pieces into a knot before frying them.) Drain and place on a paper towel. When all the ears are done, transfer to a large serving plate, sprinkling each layer abundantly with confectioners sugar. (Always use a sifter or sieve to sprinkle confectioners sugar.) Yields 2 to 3 dozen. This recipe appears in The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews: Traditional Recipes and Menus and a Memoir of a Vanished Way of Life, by Edda Servi Machlin (Dodd, Mead & Company, 1981).
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