Ingredients:
- Pork cheek bacon
- Red Tropea onion
- Sheep ricotta
- Basil
- Fresh oregano
- Cleaned anchovies
- Flour – Egg - Bread
- Peanut oil
- Curry mayonnaise
- Yellow and purple potato chips
- Oil – Salt - Pepper
Eating fish not only in summer is something you can and you should. It is however important to know which fish to choose, you'd want the captured fish, not the bred fish. A valid option, tasty, easy to prepare and to find and rich in omega 3 like all fatty fish: anchovies, a type of fish, which can be perfectly captured also in winter, and which is the base of many traditional recipes even in areas not located directly at the sea such as the "bagna cauda" recipe of the hilly countryside of Langhe and Monferrato.
In the spring menu of the "La Beola" Restaurant at the Grand Hotel Majestic in Pallanza, I serve the anchovies in 'street food' style, a recently popular trend. First I have to leave the pork cheek bacon with red onions in extra virgin olive oil for about ten minutes, just as if I was making some amatriciana; afterwards I chop it up with the basil and the fresh oregano, and I add the sheep ricotta, which gives it its special taste. I stuff the clean anchovies, which I first placed on the cutting board, with this filling with the help of a piping bag, close them over each other and coat them with breadcrumbs. First, I dip them in the flour, then in the beaten egg, in the bread crumbs, and finally I fry them in the peanut oil at a temperature of at least 170°C for a few minutes.
This is where the interesting part starts: instead of serving the fried anchovies on a plate, I place them in a classic cone-shaped bag of the bite-sized "fritto napoletano" dishes like chips, and top them with curry mayonnaise.
A meal that combines two traditional recipes, and which I like to serve in an almost informal way. A great idea also for the cocktail receptions and banquettes which often take place at the Grand Hotel Majestic in Pallanza, since they can easily be eaten standing up.
