Festival

Earlier this week, I staffed the Jamaica table at my kids’ school event celebrating global cultural diversity. When I signed up to do this, I knew I’d be preparing some sort of “taste of home” to give the kids as a sample. At that point in time, I had not known that we expected 900 kids to attend. Welp, I had some work to do.

This is a bit of a departure from my American baking tradition, but it’s quick and easy and tasty, and the recipe scales up brilliantly.

Steeped in memories of the beach trips of my childhood, festival is a fried dough made with cornmeal. We used to eat festival with escovitch fish back home, but I think it’d make a good accompaniment to many savory dishes.

Yield: 10ish? It really depends on how you want to shape them. Shaping larger increases softness, while shaping smaller gives each a crunchier finish.

Ingredients / Brands Tested

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  Harina Buena y Barata Harina de trigo fortificada para todo uso Especial Para Panadería y Pastelería
• 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
  Supermaxi brand – harina de maíz
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
  Cris-Sal Sal de Mesa
• 4 tbsp. brown sugar
  Schullo Azúcar Morena
• 1 tsp. baking powder
  La Reposterita/Levapan Polvo para Hornear
• 2/3 cup milk (but be prepared to add a little more to get your dough to the right consistency)
  La Lechera Leche Semi-Descremada
• Cooking oil for frying
  SMART Selection Aceite de Girasol

Directions

Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar to a mixing bowl and combine. [Note: There’s really no need to use a stand mixer, especially since the best way to get good consistency is to stick your hand in there and knead anyway.]

Slowly pour the milk into the dry ingredients and knead until a soft dough forms.

Add a generous pour of oil to a deep frying pan or pot and apply low-to-medium heat.

Divide the dough into smaller chunks and roll each in the palms of your hands to form a roughly oval shape.

Add the dough ovals to the hot oil one by one, although you can fry as many as comfortably fit at the same time. Keep turning each festival using a pair of tongs so that all the sides brown evenly.

Once the festival is golden-brown, remove from oil and drain (e.g., using paper towels).

Give it a try and see if you like it. On my end, I haven’t quite figured out the best food pairing for festival here in the sierra. That said, I’m planning to fry some up the next time I make locro — I think they might work well together!

In terms of storage, this is a food best served hot and fresh. I don’t even recommend next-day consumption — it’s just not the same.