"Filhoses"

Tradition dictated that these filhoses were baked on the knee by the mothers of the family, sitting on a bench by the fire.

Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water in a bowl and leave to rise for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Then sift the flour into a large bowl (as the dough will rise a lot) and add the salt.

Heat the olive oil until it is very hot but not boiling and pour it over the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon so that it is all scalded. Grease your hands with a drizzle of cold olive oil and crumble the flour until there are no lumps.

Add the yeast, which by then has doubled in volume, and the eggs. Continue kneading with your hands (to make it easier, keep a bowl of olive oil by your side so you can grease your hands as needed).

Add the brandy and continue kneading until the dough is shiny and has bubbles on the surface (this can take a while, between 40 minutes and 1 hour). Place the bowl with the dough in a warm place, cover with a thick cloth and leave to rise for at least 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in volume.

Put the oil in a deep frying pan, fill it halfway and let it heat up well. With your hands greased in olive oil, remove pieces of dough and shape them into a rounded shape (the size of your palm), stretching them, but making sure not to tear the dough.

Place the filhoses in the hot oil and, with the help of a wooden spoon, dip them in to give them the shape of a flower. (How many you fry at the same time depends on the diameter of the frying pan, but only put in enough so that they don't stick together).

As soon as they have a more golden colour, remove them from the oil and place them on absorbent paper. Repeat until you have finished the dough. If necessary, add more oil to the frying pan, taking care to let it heat up well.

Once cool and drained, transfer the filhoses to a large plate and sprinkle with sugar.