Paola’s Crocché di patate
Crocché, also known in Naples as crocchette di papate or panzarotti, is another classic dish. This delicious cylinder of potatoes stuffed with mozzarella, covered in breadcrumbs and fried, is traditionally served as antipasto or secondo (second dish). The potato croquettes are also served as part of a dish called Fritto Misto Napoletano which traditionally includes palle di riso (fried rice stuffed with mozzarella), vegetables such as zucchini (courgettes), meat such as brains and liver slices and cheese such as ricotta and mozzarella, cut in little chunks, floured, dipped in egg and then deep fried.
My grandmother, whose kitchen was like a headquarters and she, the general-in- command, would always cook many elaborate and delicious dishes like this one for her big family, who often came together for Sunday lunch and religious holidays. Her two sisters would help her, a couple of her daughters and the lady who’d been working there as general helper for years. The kitchen reverberated with the sound of clanking pots, splashing water and women shouting and telling each other off - what they’d done wrong or how to do it properly - all bossed around in a mother- hen way by my grandmother.
Il dolce - pudding from Cimmino’s Pasticceria
That house was already a crowded place, as two families were living under the same roof, and it became even more so, when the 4 daughters and son (my father) and extended families, joined them around this very long table that used to accommodate us all, making each reunion an extremely big, busy, loud and joyous affair.
Leila, Paola’s daughter, loves crocché stuffed with melted mozzarella
These chaotic lunches would conclude when my grandfather, who was sitting at the head of the table, opened a big pack of mixed pastries he just brought home from the Pasticceria. My grandmother would then serve the coffee before clearing the table with the help of the all ‘troop’, then heading to the kitchen to start again the joyful clanking of pots and shouting and teasing, this time to clean up the mess.
I have such fond memories of these lunches! It was like a comic theatre in action with lots of characters that seemed to have come out of a Neapolitan Commedia freshly written by the famous beloved playwright Eduardo De Filippo.
I would just sit, look, observe, laugh and obviously eat…a lot.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1 kg potatoes - King Edwards or Maris Piper
50 gr grated parmesan
1 egg separated
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
120 gr mozzarella cut in little cubes
30 gr chopped salami (optional)
Flour
Breadcrumbs
Olive oil or vegetable oil to fry
Directions
Boil the potatoes, peel and mash them. Add the parmesan, egg yolk, salt, pepper and parsley. Take a spoonful of the mixture, stuff with a little bit of mozzarella and salami, and roll in a cylinder shape of about 8 cm long and 3 cm wide.
Roll it into flour, plunge into the beaten egg white, then coat with breadcrumbs. Fry the croquettes 2 or 3 at the time (depending on pan size) in plenty of olive or vegetable oil until brown and serve hot.
Paola is our in-house cook, here at the House of Talents. She is offering Italian inspired Italian inspired cookery classes for adults and kids.
Times: 3pm on Tuesdays and Fridays (60 mins).
We are asking for a £5 donation for group sessions (with a minimum of 5 people per session).
Please get in touch with Paola to sign up for one of her group classes, or to book a one-to-one session.
Email: paolacimmino3@gmail.com
Instagram: @cucina_cimmino
The House of Talents is a community of established writers, actors, artists, musicians, performers, mindfulness coaches – and a publisher, who offer creative online courses for adults and children (£5 each for group classes). Classes include creative writing, portrait painting, performing, public speaking, self-publishing, meditation, mindfulness, nutrition and how to publish your book. 10% of all payments go to charity.
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