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1
Turn the well-drained ricotta into a bowl. Add the eggs and lemon zest and work together until uniform. Add the semolina and mix until the mass just holds its shape when pressed — it should be firm enough to form ovals without sticking excessively to the hands. If including Mirto, fold in at this stage. Chill the mixture for 15 minutes. The mixture is ready when a small portion pressed between the fingers holds a clean edge without crumbling.
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2
With wet hands — which prevent the soft mixture from adhering to the palms — shape the mixture into oval cylinders approximately 3 cm wide and 5 cm long. Form a single test fritter first and reserve the remainder. The ovals should be smooth-surfaced and hold their shape unsupported on a tray.
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3
Bring the frying oil to exactly 170 °C. Lower the test fritter gently into the oil. It should sink briefly, then rise and turn slowly in the oil as the exterior sets. If it falls apart, remove, drain the oil free of debris, return the mixture to the bowl, work in a little more semolina, and re-shape. This test fry is where the dish lives or dies: a fritter that holds its oval form and colours evenly to deep gold in approximately 3–4 minutes will produce the shatteringly crisp exterior and hot creamy interior that defines the dish; one fried at the wrong temperature or from wet ricotta will collapse, absorb oil, and yield a dense, greasy result.
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4
Fry the remaining fritters in batches, maintaining the oil at 170 °C between each batch. Turn them once during frying. They are ready when the exterior is an even, deep golden brown on all sides and the surface is dry to the eye — no glistening wet patches.
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5
Lift the fritters with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on absorbent paper. The surface should feel firm and crisp to a light tap of the fingernail — a dull, soft response indicates under-frying or excessive moisture in the ricotta.
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6
Transfer immediately to warm plates. Dust with a pinch of cinnamon if using. Bring the corbezzolo honey to the table and drizzle it over the fritters at the moment of serving. The honey must not be applied in advance: within two minutes it dissolves the crust, collapsing the crisp-bitter-sweet contrast that defines the dish. Serve without delay — cold fritters are dense and lose their interior creaminess.