With the start of the New Year just a couple of days away,  I felt it appropriate to share my recipe for a traditional Dutch food – Oliebollen.  Enjoyed as a New Year’s treat in The Netherlands, Oliebollen (translated “Oil Balls”) are essentially deep fried balls of dough, similar to a doughnut. As my husband is Dutch and I lived in the Netherlands for 3 years, cooking a batch of these irresistible morsels is a ritual I have been doing for many New Year’s Days.
Happy New Year and wishing you health and happiness for 2019.

Ingredients:

500g plain flour
10g salt
2 large eggs
25g dried yeast
1 cup lukewarm beer
1/2 cup lukewarm water
300g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, currents, raisins, peel)
2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
oil for deep-frying
To serve: sifted icing sugar

Method:

1. Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the eggs.
2. Mix the yeast together with a little of the lukewarm beer, and add to the bowl along with the remaining beer and the water.
3. Add the dried fruit and the apple pieces and mix well.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic food wrap and leave the batter to rise in a warm place for about an hour.
5. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan.
6. Using 2 greased tablespoons, form ito balls and slide into the hot oil.
7. Fry until golden brown (about 3 minutes), then turn them and do the same.
8. Remove the oliebollen from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
9. Dust with sifted icing sugar and serve.