Polpette alla ricotta
Ricotta cheese dumplings
My first attempt at making ricotta cheese dumplings failed miserably, but now I have found the secret ingredient that makes the polpette light, crunchy and simply irresistible.
It is simply incredible how many different recipes can be prepared with ricotta as the main ingredient. It’s unavoidable in ravioli. Creamy with fava beans. And sweet when filled in cannoli. Or take these deep fried ricotta cheese dumplings as an example. They are an instant success as part of an Italian inspired tapas menu or any romantic snack food dinner.
The first recipes I found for ricotta cheese dumplings did not include flour, but I decided to add some after having ruined the frying oil and turned the batter to mush. The result is so good, it should probably remain a secret.
Ingredients
250 g ricotta
2 eggs
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp grated pecorino cheese (parmesan or Grana Padano can be used instead)
100 g sliced prosciutto ham
Fresh mint
Salt, pepper and oil for deep frying
Preparation
Separate the yolks from the egg whites and whisk the whites to a foamy snow.
Mix egg yolks and ricotta well.
Stir in chopped ham, chopped mint, flour, salt and pepper.
Heat up the frying oil.
Fold the fluffy egg whites into the ricotta mixture to make a light but not runny batter.
Deep fry spoonfuls of ricotta batter until golden brown
Place the fried ricotta cheese dumplings on a piece of absorbent paper, and serve them immediately.
Oh wow, how much could I eat these right now. They look amazing – not that I’ve ever seen ricotta cheese in the supermarkets here but it’s only a matter of time. Other cheeses are making an appearance. :)
Julia
Actually, you can make your own ricotta, so being in Turkey is really not an excuse for not trying these ricotta cheese dumplings. Alternatively, you could try with feta. I’m sure it would be phenomenal, once you have cracked to code to obtaining the right texture.