Portzeltje

To ‘portzel’ is to ‘tumble’ they say—
these fritters tumble in fat
as they fry.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. yeast
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
4 1/2 - 5 cups flour
2 cups raisins

Mix ingredients as in Olie Bollen recipe.
Let rise.  Pinch off as for making buns.
Let rise again on cookie  sheets.
Deep fry until brown.
Sprinkle or roll in icing sugar when cool.

Anne Sawatzky, Ft.Langley (from her mother,
Annie Giesbrecht, Abbotsford)

Olie Bollen: the Dutch connection

Ingredients: 500 g flour - 25 g yeast
 ½  litre lukewarm milk - 5 g salt - lemon peel (grated) - 1 apple (in small pieces) –
200 g. fruit:   currants (washed and dried), raisins (washed and dried) and candied orange peel -  vegetable oil for frying.

Mix the yeast with a little of the milk gently, let rise. Put the flour in a bowl. Make a  little hole and pour  in the yeast mixture.
Stir the rest of the flour, milk and salt  to a  smooth batter. Add the currants etc.
Let  rise for about one hour in a warm place.
Heat the oil (about 180 C). Take two metal spoons and make balls of the batter and fry for several minutes. Take them out with a skimmer and drain on paper towels. Dredge with icing  sugar. Serve warm.

Leidi Schilthuis Clevering,
Middlestum, The Netherlands.
Leidi and Gijs Schilthuis are members of Middelstum Doopsgezinde (Mennonite)
Kerk.