Maria does not look like me physically because she took more from my husband’s family but in gestures, attitudes and tastes she is my mini me, yes because she has an insane passion for bechamel. The recipe that I propose now is a decoy for her, even if she is not hungry she eats at least 3 and let’s say that it is one of those dishes that if by chance she is in a bad mood she is able to cheer her up. The Frittatina di pasta napoletana was born as a poor dish from the now proverbial need to recycle leftovers, in this case of pasta, because it is true that food must not thrown away or wasted, we were taught so when we were children. Returning to the frittatina, eggs, salami, some cheese were added to the pasta of the day before and it was passed in a pan and this is the version born in homes to have a snack, to take it to school, on a trip, to work. For those who do not know, but I think it is impossible, Naples is famous, like many other Italian cities for street food and one of the queens of Neapolitan street food is precisely la frittatina in a richer, more unconventional version (in a good way, we say “scustumat” even to a rich dish, full of ingredients). Maybe I’m going too far, better if we go directly to the recipe.
Ingrediants
½ kg of bucatini cooked the day before
200 gr of cooked ham
200 gr of smoked provolone
100 gr of blanched peas
100 gr of grated Parmesan cheese
For the bechamel:
1 L of whole milk
100 gr of butter
100 gr of flour
Nutmeg to taste
salt
For the batter:
100 gr of flour
200 ml of water
A pinch of salt
Peanut oil
In a large bowl put the pasta that you have cut coarsely and add the cooled but still soft béchamel, the ham, the peas, the coarsely grated provoletta and the parmesan. Mix well to distribute the sauce evenly around the pasta. Arrange the dough in a medium-sized rectangular pan, pressing the dough well, cover with cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. When it is well settled, take it out of the mold and cut it into cubes of the size you prefer. Prepare the batter by mixing the flour, water and salt with a whisk, being careful not to form lumps. Put plenty of peanut oil in a pan and let it heat up. Dip each omelette in the batter and dip in the boiling oil. Fry a few pieces at a time to prevent the oil temperature from falling too low. When they are golden brown, remove them from the oil and arrange them on a plate covered with absorbent paper. Continue until you run out of frittatine.
Eat them hot but they are also excellent cold the next day … if they are still there!