Ricotta Fritters (Polpette di Ricotta)

By CheeseDiva

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
• 1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 6 basil leaves, torn in half
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup homemade or store-bought ricotta
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino
• 1/3 cup grated mozzarella
• 1 tsp. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 egg yolks plus 2 eggs
• 4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
• Canola oil, for frying

Details

Servings 20
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

Chilling the ricotta–prosciutto mixture after mixing it allows the flavors to come together and makes the balls easier to form.

MAKES 20 FRITTERS

1. Heat olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add chile flakes; toast for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and basil, bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce begins to thicken, 6–8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low; keep warm.

2. Stir together ricotta, fresh bread crumbs, pecorino, mozzarella, parsley, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg yolks, and prosciutto in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper; cover and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. Put flour, whole eggs, and dried bread crumbs into 3 separate shallow dishes; whisk eggs. Using your hands, form chilled ricotta mixture into 1½" balls. Working with 1 ball at a time, dredge in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs, shaking off any excess. Transfer to a parchment paper–lined sheet tray.

4. Pour enough canola oil into a 4-quart saucepan that it reaches a depth of 2". Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350°. Working in batches, fry the ricotta balls, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the balls to a paper towel–lined plate. Serve with the tomato sauce.

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How To Make Ricotta At Home

You'd think that multiple cheeses and bacon breaded and fried would be a no-brainer... do not be fooled like I was! They held together fine, looked very appetizing (so deceived!). They tasted like .... well, gross. Too much breadcrumbs I think, reminds me of a German cheese soup I tried to make once upon a time. The sauce was excellent though, would recommend that as a dip for jalapeno poppers etc.

If you read the recipe and visualize the progression of it, then in Step 2 you will will realize that the addition of bread crumbs at this time is an error and a mistake of the copywriter. The bread crumbs are added only in Step 3.

I opened my yap before actually trying the recipe, you do need bread crumbs in Step #2. However, I only added 1/2 cup, just enough to hold the cheeses together and not be sloppy then refrigerated for 30 minutes. The rest I followed according to the recipe. I served these along side my antipasto platter, they were snapped up first by my guests. These were most like the Polpette de Oranchi I have ordered in Rome but with orange rather than lemon,

I wonder if you could use cold cooked rice in lieu of or replace by 50% the bread crumbs in step 2?