Crumbed meat and vegetables (fricia)

A traditional Italian peasant style street food from the Piedmont region of Italy. This dish comprises of sweet and savoury fried items. Eat it piping hot accompanied by buttery carrots and the typical Piedmontese bagnetto verde, a herbed dip.

Crumbed meat and vegetables (Fricia)

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 200 g veal brains
• 150 g sliced veal rump
• 150 g sliced pork loin
• 200 g loins of veal (backs)
• 150 g sausage
• 200 g veal liver
• 2 bull testicles
• 300 g veal lung
• 2 large apples, sliced
• 8 amaretti biscuits
• 6 eggs

Batter

• 1 egg
• 150 ml carbonated water or lager
• 200 g plain or 00 flour
• breadcrumbs, as needed
• salt and black pepper
• vegetable oil, for frying

Lemon semolina

• 600 ml milk
• 120 g sugar
• finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• 120 g semolina flour

Chocolate semolina

• 600 ml milk
• 120 g sugar
• 60 g unsweetened cocoa
• 120 g semolina flour

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the milk, sugar and grated lemon rind. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the semolina and stir vigorously until thick. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined baking tray. Allow to cool completely before cutting into diamonds. Repeat the method in a clean saucepan for the chocolate semolina, using cocoa powder instead of lemon rind.
2. Fill a large stockpot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Blanch the veal brains, rump, loins, sausage, liver and bull testicles for 5 minutes each. Blanch the lung for 20 minutes. Remove all proteins from the heat and allow them to cool completely before using. Cut the proteins into equal bite-size pieces to prepare them for frying.
3. Prepare a crumbing station by beating six eggs in 1 medium bowl and filling a second bowl with breadcrumbs, this is for your meat protein items. For your sweet items, the apple slices, semolina diamonds and amaretti biscuits, in a large bowl, make a thick batter out of plain flour, eggs and carbonated water or lager (for more flavour!).
4. In a large saucepan, heat around 1 litre of oil over high heat. Dip the meat pieces in the egg, then the breadcrumbs and fry until golden. Dip the sweet ingredients in the carbonated batter and deep fry until crisp and golden. Eat while piping hot!

 

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.