Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [229]
Fried Cauliflower Wedges with Egg and Bread Crumb Batter
For 6 or more servings
1 medium head cauliflower, about 2 pounds
2 eggs
1 cup unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted, spread on a plate
Vegetable oil
Salt
1. Boil and drain the cauliflower. When it has cooled enough to handle, detach the florets from the head and cut them into wedges about 1 inch thick at their widest point.
2. Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat them lightly.
3. Dip the cauliflower wedges in the egg, letting excess egg flow back into the bowl, then turn them in the bread crumbs, coating them all over.
4. Pour enough oil in a frying pan to come ½ inch up the sides, turn the heat on to high, and when the oil is very hot, slip in as many cauliflower pieces as will fit loosely, without crowding the pan. When a nice, golden crust has formed on one side, turn them and do the other side. Transfer with a slotted spoon or spatula to a cooling rack to drain or to a platter lined with paper towels. If there are more cauliflower pieces left to be fried, repeat the procedure. When they are all done, sprinkle with salt, and serve at once.
Fried Cauliflower with Parmesan Cheese Batter
TRUE parmigiano-reggiano cheese makes marvelous frying batters because it is an ideal bonding agent, melting without becoming runny, stringy, or rubbery. And, of course, it also contributes its own unique flavor. The fluffy, tender crust this batter produces is ideal for such vegetable pieces as cauliflower. If you are pleased with it, try it with preboiled broccoli or finocchio.
For 6 or more servings
1 head young cauliflower, 2 pounds or less
Salt
½ cup lukewarm water
⅓ cup flour
⅓ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 egg
Vegetable oil
1. Boil and drain the cauliflower. When it has cooled enough to handle, detach the floret clusters from the head at the base of their stems, separate into individual florets, and cut each of them lengthwise in two. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
2. Put the lukewarm water in a bowl, and add the flour to it gradually, shaking it through a strainer, not a sifter. Beat the mixture with a fork while you add the flour. Add the grated Parmesan and a pinch of salt and stir well.
3. Break the egg into a deep soup plate, beat it lightly with a fork, then mix it thoroughly into the flour and Parmesan mixture.
4. Pour enough vegetable oil in a skillet to come ¼ inch up its sides, and turn on the heat to high. When a speck of batter dropped into the pan stiffens and instantly floats to the surface, the oil is hot enough for frying.
5. Dip 2 or 3 florets in the batter, letting excess batter flow back into the bowl as you lift them out, and slip them into the pan. Add a few more batter-coated pieces to the pan, but do not put too many in at one time or the temperature of the oil will drop.
6. When the cauliflower forms a nice golden crust on one side, turn it and do the other side. Transfer with a slotted spoon or spatula to a cooling rack to drain or to a platter lined with paper towels. As room opens up in the pan, add more pieces of cauliflower. When they are all done, sprinkle with salt, and serve at once.
Braised and Gratinéed Celery Stalks with Parmesan Cheese
DESPITE THE SEQUENCE of cooking procedures—first the celery is blanched to fix its color; then it’s sautéed with onion and pancetta to provide a flavor base; after that it is braised with broth to make it tender; and finally it is gratinéed with grated Parmesan to give it a savory finish—this is not a very complicated dish to prepare. You should find the means completely justified by the simply delicious end.
For 6 servings
2 large bunches crisp, fresh celery
3 tablespoons onion chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter