2022 Giro d’Italia - Stage 13: Sanremo to Cuneo.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the lovely Ligurian region. The Giro arrived in this long, skinny, and curved region in the southern portion of NW Italy yesterday, when they rolled into Genova. Today the riders take off from one picturesque waterfront locale (Sanremo) and finish up in the picturesque hills of the Piedmont region, about 50 miles south of Turin. For the remainder of this culinary ridealong, I will be making all northern Italian specialties. The cuisine shifts from reds and browns to greens and whites; from heavy to mostly lighter fare. The culinary influences of the bordering countries (France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia) also now come into play.
In fact, today’s dish appears very similar to a course I made for the 13th stage of my 2021 Tour de France Culinary Ridealong. That was a salad which featured cod cakes and a champagne vinaigrette. Today, I offer a different salad from Cuneo. While some say “you don’t win friends with salad”, they’ve probably not fried up some goat cheese and walnut polpettine. In a nod to neighboring France, the greens are dressed with a dijon vinaigrette. This is a lovely and light first course, or you can increase the portions for a lovely summer lunch or dinner.
Spring Greens with Fried Goat Cheese and Walnuts
Polpettine di Formaggio con le Noci, from The Italian Regional Cookbook, Valentina Harris
¾ cup walnuts
7 oz goat cheese
1.25 cups freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
Olive oil (or other oil for frying)
1.5 tsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Process the walnuts in a mini-prep until ground into fine crumbs. Then, combine the ground walnuts and cheeses in a medium bowl and mix together with a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. When combined, roll into small balls.
Prepare a bowl of water and a plate of breadcrumbs.
Dip your hands into the water, pick up the cheese rounds, and gently flatten into discs, about 1/2-inch thick. Then toss the small patties into the breadcrumbs and set aside on a rack-lined baking sheet.
When all the patties have been prepared, pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a medium-sized frying pan with a 1/4-inch of oil. Heat over medium-high. When the oil begins to shimmer/ripple, add in a handful of the prepared patties and fry for about 3 minutes per side, reducing the heat when you flip the patties. Remove the patties to a rack-lined tray to cool slightly.
While the patties fry away, wash and spin your greens. In a small jar or bowl, combine the dijon mustard and evoo. Reserve.
When ready to serve, throw some greens into a medium bowl, shake (or whisk) the dressing and lightly coat the lettuce. Toss the greens with the dressing briefly, then plate the salad, topping with the fried cheese crisps and serve.
______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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