ITALIAN CUISINE 2

This is a continuation from my previous Italian cuisine post. I have given here some of the recipes I featured on my last radio show. And the sources are listed below each recipe.

1) Struffoli are small fritters glued together with honey and decorated with sprinkles. It is a Neapolitan dish made of deep fried balls of dough about the size of marbles. They are crunchy on the outside, light inside and are traditionally served with honey, bits of orange rind and chopped nuts. They grace the table at Christmas and Easter and are perfect when served warm.

RECIPE:

6 eggs

6 tbsp. cooking oil

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup dry sherry

Flour

Shortening or oil for deep frying

METHOD:
Mix first 6 ingredients. Add enough flour to make a consistency to roll. Dough should be somewhat sticky. Shape into small balls, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Deep fry in oil or shortening until golden brown.

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups honey

1 tbsp. orange zest

Mix all ingredients on low heat until sugar is dissolved. Dip each roll into mixture and remove. or you could make the glaze in a wide-mouthed pot and put the fritters into it. Stir to coat all of them and transfer them to serving dishes before decorating with sprinkles.

recipe courtesy: italianfood.about.com

2) Frico - It is simply fried cheese, mainly Montasio cheese. Being a simple dish it has been around for a long time. And being made of cheese, this is one recipe that I might never try on my own. Both me and VC run away from cheese:-D heh heh heh But I hope to visit Italy some day and while there, I hope to taste this too. Can't get much fresher than that.

Ingredients:

10 ounces (250 g) fresh or moderately aged Montasio cheese, grated
scant pound (400 g) potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
1/4 cup unsalted butter or olive oil

Preparation:

Heat the fat in a skillet and sauté the potatoes for a few minutes, or until they begin to soften and brown, then add the cheese and continue cooking, shaking the pan every now and then so the cheese gets to the bottom of the potato mixture; once the bottom of the mixture has begun to brown carefully slide it out onto a plate using a spatula (you don't want to break the frico), then invert the frico back into the pan so you end up with the browned side up (as you would while flipping a frittata). Continue cooking the frico for a few minutes more, until the underside is also brown; it should have a crunchy skin and a soft inside. The total cooking time of the cheese will be about 12-15 minutes.

Note: If you cannot find Montasio, use young Grana Padano cheese.

Hope somebody out there who's not afraid of cheese will try this and like it. Afterall cheese is one of the best comfort foods and thus brings warmth to your tummy and grins to your face.

recipe courtesy: italianfood.about.com

photo courtesy: google images.

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