THE KITCHEN : RICOTTA FRITTERS BY CHEF OLIVIA CAVALLI
for the launch of my tableware collection earlier this year, i was very fortunate to have wonderful human and chef, olivia cavalli prepare some beautiful canapés for the event. we had a menu of small italian bites, with simple spring inspired flavours - one of which were these delicious ricotta fritters! for the event we made these with a savoury twist, topped with a pea & mint puree which was delightful, this recipe below offers a sweeter taste with an orange syrup to accompany your fritters. you can find this recipe amongst many other inspiring and beautiful dishes in olivia’s book stagioni.
this one is simple, quietly elegant and makes a really lovely breakfast alternative to pancakes, enjoy!
SERVES 3
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INGREDIENTS
500g ricotta
1 medium egg
2 1/2 tbsp icing sugar
80g plain flour
Vegetable oil
2 heaped tbsp. runny honey + more to serve
1 orange
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Strain the ricotta for an hour or so in a sieve set over a bowl or in a cheesecloth. Push on the ricotta with the back of a spoon and/or give it a squeeze to help get rid of any excess water - Some supermarket ricotta can be quite watery so this step is essential. If you’re using a lovely, nice quality ricotta this is less important.
Beat the ricotta with the egg and a pinch of salt. Sieve in the icing sugar and flour and mix to combine. The mixture will be a on the wet side.
Drizzle some vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a large non-stick frying pan. Heat on medium-high and, when the pan is hot, drop heaped tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in. Fry for a few minutes on one side, until lightly golden, before flipping to cook the other side. The mixture is fragile so I find it easier to lift and flip them gently using two tablespoons. Don’t be disheartened if a few fall apart, they’ll still taste good. Transfer the fritters that you have cooked onto a plate and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest.
To make the orange syrup, put the honey in a small saucepan over a low heat. Zest the orange and add this to the pan, along with the juice of one orange and a pinch of salt. Cook gently for a minute or so.
Serve the fritters drizzled with the warm syrup, adding a drizzle more honey at the table if you like.