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Pancakes di Cavolfiore
I should have known that writing about Neapolitan cauliflower pancakes I would have thought and missed to my Nonna Carmela.
Entering the house, you were welcome by dancing tiles under most of your steps. Black and white-ish with a greek meander to delimitate the perimeter of each room. The old unused stove, a wood-burning one with the oven, took the whole length of the kitchen and was entirely majolica. I can’t remember the color, maybe blue and white. I just remember that was elected space for the Nativity Scene/Presepe every Christmas. Countless hand-painted figurines and tons of moss extended for 10 feet of stunning majolica stove was something you could hardly forget.
I don’t really have valuable memories of my Neapolitan grandmother’s food or any meaningful memories of eating with her. She was already lost in her thoughts and barely within her realm of consciousness. Nevertheless, she was sweet, and kind, and always had a caress, money, and candies for me (Jeez Nonna Carmela already knew me better than anyone).
Cauliflower pancakes – Frittelle di Cavolfiore were omnipresent on Christmas Eve, no matter where we were celebrating it (read more here about my Xmas as a kid)
A small note about Pecorino Romano. An ingredient that I deeply love and I see a lot of confusion about it. Don’t confuse it with Romano Cheese, for these reasons:
- Romano Cheese is a totally different cheese from Pecorino Romano.
- It’s not entirely made from sheep milk like Pecorino Romano.
- It’s not made in Italy.
- It’s processed: Romano’s milk can be bleached with benzoyl peroxide or a mixture of benzoyl peroxide with potassium alum, calcium sulfate, and magnesium carbonate.
- Vitamin A needs is added after treatment.
- Safe (!!!!) artificial blue or green coloring may be added only to counter any yellow coloring of the milk.
Always check the label with the ingredients and origin. A Pecorino Romano label should look like this: pasteurized sheep’s milk, rennet, milk enzymes, salt.
Ingredients:
I got 35 cauliflower fritters/pancakes.
A gelato scoop helps to get them all the same size (almost).
- 1 kg – 2 pounds of cauliflower
- 250 gr – 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 30 gr- 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano grated
- 30 gr 1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- 3 large eggs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oil for frying
- Lemon juice and parsley to sprinkle/decorate if you like it. I like them plain.
How to:
Cook the cauliflower using the method you like the most.
I found the best way to avoid that pestilential smell in your house for hours is to cook the big boy using a pressure cooker. Put in the whole cauliflower (cleaned, without cutting in pieces) and add two cups of water. Cook 15 mins and that’s it. Or you can boil it, remember to add bay leaves and milk, it helps with the smell. Remember to not overcook it, or it will absorb too much water, and it will get soggy. Drain and let it cool over a colander.
Crush the cooked cauliflower with a fork. Mix in the eggs, the cheese, and the flour. Salt and pepper to taste.
I like the batter this consistency:
Let it rest covered in a cool place or in the fridge (20 mins or a day, it depends how much time you have. With this type of batters, the longer, the better).
In a non-stick pan, reheat some extra virgin olive oil, take out the batter from the fridge. You don’t need a lot of oil or they will melt.
Using two spoons or a gelato scoop drop fritters and cook a few minutes and flip it.
Place the fritters on a plate with kitchen paper to absorb the oil.
Enjoy hot or cold! You may want to sprinkle the frittelle with some lemon juice or chopped parsley. I like them simple.
You don’t need to eat them only for Christmas, you can plan a No Meat Monday with all vegetable dishes like Caponata, Zucchini Casserole, Eggplant Cutlets/Cotolette, or Sicilian Stuffed Mushrooms
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