Carrot Frittelle With Feta Cheese
Fact: I enjoy everything Venetian — a region filled, on one hand, with rolling hills and elegant mountains, and on the other, with historic canals, lagoons and the sea. Sandwiched between the sea and hills are the provinces of Verona and Vicenza. Here, all of Veneto’s elements come together to create a beautifully wondrous area for locals and an even better one for tourists who look for varied cuisine.
Carrot frittelle is a traditional antipasto all over the region of Veneto, where cooks will substitute any firm vegetable for the carrots, depending on the season. A savory side dish, carrot frittelle translates to carrot pancakes or fritters. Serve these as a snack with a glass of wine prior to dinner as the brilliant northern
Italians do.
I cooked these carrot frittelle sans vino for Mehmet Oz, M.D., last fall while on my
book tour promoting America Farm to Table: Simple, Delicious Recipes Celebrating Local
Farmers. He loved everything about them, from the vitamin A content to the healthier olive oil used for frying. I’m convinced that, above all of the health benefits, Dr. Oz enjoyed this recipe for the very reason I do: the tangy richness of coarsely grated feta cheese combined with the flavor of sweet, earthy carrots.
In this recipe, I recommend using two cheeses: caciotta and goat’s-milk feta. But you could substitute local cheeses from wherever you like. Look for a crumbly cheese that will make the flavor somewhat pungent, such as Italian ricotta salata,
blue cheese or even Mexican cotija.
CARROT FRITTELLE WITH FETA CHEESE
Makes 32 to 36 frittelle Ingredients: 5 large carrots Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper 4 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 1/4 cup rye flour 3 tablespoons grated caciotta cheese
or pecorino Romano 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 8 ounces goat’s-milk feta cheese or
regular feta, coarsely grated 1 lemon, cut into wedges Directions:
Shred the carrots in a food processor using the finest grating disk, or on the finest holes of a box grater. Place the shredded carrots in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Add the eggs, panko bread crumbs, rye flour and caciotta; stir to combine.
In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick saute pan, heat the oil. Add the carrot mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, and cook until each fritter is golden brown on both sides. Transfer the fritters to a serving platter, and repeat until you have used all the carrot mixture. Sprinkle the fritters with feta, and serve with lemon
wedges on the side.
Mario Batali is the award-winning chef behind 24 restaurants, including Eataly, DelPosto and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo.