These three recipes come from the <<Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews> by Edda Servi Machlin (an interesting cookbook). Alaine

This was a specialty of my Aunt Argia. During the eight days of Chanukah, she would get up at dawn to start making frittelle for all the extended family. Punctually at mealtime she would knock at our door with a big plate of fragrant hot frittelle.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine flour, salt & anise seeds in bowl. Gradually add the dissolved yeast & the olive oil, mixing until a rather soft dough is formed. Turn out onto a floured work surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth & elastic.

Spread the raisins and knead the dough over them until they have all been incorporated into the dough. Shape into a ball, cover with a clean kitchen towel & let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in bulk.

With the palms of your hands, flatten to about 1/2 inch thickness. Let rest uncovered for 15 minutes. With a sharp knife, cut into 36 diamonds.

Heat the oil in a deep saucepan & fry a few diamonds at a time, turning, until golden on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.

Heat the honey in a saucepan with 2 tbsp of lemon juice & boil for 3 minutes. Arrange frittelle on a serving plate & pour the hot honey over them.