Читать книгу Made in Italy: Food and Stories - Giorgio Locatelli - Страница 38

The idea here is to make little ‘sandwiches’ of chard stalks, filled with Fontina cheese, and deep-fry them.

2 large Swiss chard stalks

2 thin slices of Fontina cheese

100g plain flour

2 eggs

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

100g dried breadcrumbs

500ml vegetable oil for frying

3 tablespoons Shallot vinaigrette (see page 52)

small bunch of chives, cut into batons

salt and pepper

Remove the leaves from the chard stalks. Blanch the stalks in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, until just tender, then drain and pat dry (this is important for later). Put the chard leaves into the boiling water for about a minute, then drain and pat dry.

The chard stalks will be pointed at the top where the leaf was attached. Trim off this pointed part and cut it into thin batons, then set aside. Cut the rest of the stalk into an equal number of pieces each about 7-8cm long. Then slice each of these pieces horizontally through the middle, so you are left with pairs of identical pieces.

Cut the cheese into slices just a little smaller than the pairs of Swiss chard. Keep the chard slices in their pairs, cut-side upwards. Place a slice of Fontina on one of the slices of chard, then put the other one on top, cut-side downwards. As long as the pieces of chard are dry when you start to fill them with the Fontina, they will stay together in a sandwich – you don’t need to secure them.

Place the flour on a large plate. Put the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly. Mix 1 tablespoon of Parmesan with the breadcrumbs on another plate. Take each ‘sandwich’ and dust each end and side in turn in the flour – leave the larger surfaces for now. Shake off excess flour. Do the same with the egg, making sure the sides and ends are covered and shaking off the excess. Finally, dip the chard into the breadcrumbs – again cover the ends and sides – and shake off the excess.

Repeat the whole process, this time dipping the larger surfaces first into the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs. At the end every surface should be completely covered, and you can press each surface with a spatula, to make sure the breadcrumbs stick really well.

Heat the oil in a large, deep pan (no more than one-third full). Meanwhile, mix the reserved little chard batons with the leaves. Season with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the remaining Parmesan. Toss with the Shallot vinaigrette, then arrange on serving plates.

When the oil is hot enough to sizzle when you sprinkle in a few breadcrumbs, put in the ‘sandwiches’ and fry for about 2 minutes, until golden. Move around with a spoon or a spatula, taking care not to puncture them or the cheese will start to leak out. When they are ready, remove and drain on kitchen paper. Season with salt and arrange on top of the salad. Sprinkle over the rest of the Parmesan and the chives.