One of the most satisfying sights in the kitchen is watching a circle of yeasted dough in very hot oil.
First it shimmies, in the same way you might make your way across the function room to the dance floor at a wedding – not quite dancing and all in the shoulders – in a coat of bubbles. Then comes the blistering – small bubbles erupting on its surface, before the big puff – although this usually happens on just one side, which might save you the trouble of turning it over as the pizzetta capsizes, all the time getting more and more golden. I am convinced this is even more exciting if you yourself are impossibly hot.
The most important thing is to eat them immediately, or as soon as you can, with a cold beer and, ideally, standing around the cooker
And, of course, there is the smell! Frying dough – like lemon zest, a freshly opened bottle of olive oil or packet of coffee, freshly chopped herbs, or freshly ground spices – is one of the great smells.
Pizzette fritte (little fried pizzas), also known as pizzelle fritte, are not to be confused with pizze fritte, which are filled (often with ricotta, provola and dried curls of pork called ciccioli), folded in half, sealed and fried. Pizzette fritte, on the other hand, are small rounds of dough fried unfolded and without filling or topping. Once golden and puffed up, they are lifted out of the oil, blotted dry and topped with a spoonful of tomato sauce, maybe some grated pecorino or Parmesan, and certainly a basil leaf.
When they are topped with tomato sauce, a dusting of cheese and basil, pizzette are called montanare. And the most important thing is to eat them immediately, or as soon as you can, with a cold beer, and, ideally, standing around the cooker.
PIZZETTE FRITTE/MONTANARE – LITTLE FRIED PIZZAS WITH TOMATO, CHEESE AND BASIL
Serves four to six Ingredients For the pizzette 10g dried yeast 140ml lukewarm milk 140ml lukewarm water 500g plain flour (type 00, ideally) 1 potato (about 150g), boiled, peeled and mashed Salt Sunflower oil, for frying For the sauce 500g tomatoes Olive oil 1 garlic clove, peeled Oregano To serve Grated Parmesan or pecorino Basil leaves
Method 1 To make the dough, mix the yeast with the milk, water and a spoonful of flour, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix in the rest of the flour, the potato and a good pinch of salt, then bring together into a ball.
2 Wash the bowl, dry and rub with oil, then return the dough to the bowl, cover and leave to rest in a draught-free place for an hour.
3 Meanwhile, get on with the sauce. Peel the tomatoes by plunging them into boiling water for a minute, then into cold, at which point the skins will slip away easily. Roughly chop the flesh.
4 In a large frying pan, warm a good amount of olive oil and the garlic clove (peeled and squashed for a gentle flavour, sliced for stronger, minced for strongest) and leave to sizzle gently. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and oregano, and leave to simmer gently, until rich and dense.
5 Pull plum-sized pieces of dough from the ball and flatten them into palm-sized circles. Lay these on a lightly floured surface while you heat a litre of sunflower oil to 180 degrees (or until a cube of bread turns golden in one minute).
6 Fry the pizzette in small batches, for only a minute or so on each side, until they puff up and turn golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon and blot quickly on kitchen towel. Top each pizzette with a blob of tomato sauce, some grated Parmesan or pecorino and a basil leaf, and eat immediately. – Guardian
