In terms of Italian cooking, when you cook something “in fricassee”, it means you are adding egg yolks that you have already mixed with lemon juice to a hot and cooked dish, right at the end, usually out of the heat. The yolks thicken and become a velvety, lemony sauce that envelops the rest of the ingredients. The trick, of course, is not to devour them. This is a northern Italian cooking technique that always delivers a subtle elegance to the final dish.
Usually, it is rabbit, veal, chicken and lamb, cooked “in fricassee”, the meat is first roasted “in bianco”, without tomatoes.
Some vegetables can also be cooked “in fricassee”: artichokes, peas, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, broad beans and asparagus.
The pattern is the same: you fry a little chopped onion (also a little garlic, if you think it will work), without letting it get any color, then you add your vegetables, tossing them to absorb the fat; A splash of white whine, if you have any, adds extra flavor and then some hot water goes inside, to create a steaming environment. The pan is covered and the vegetables are cooked until softened. By the end, the dish should be moist but not soupy. From the heat, add some egg yolks that have already been whipped with lemon juice, a little water to prevent any danger of egg predation, a tablespoon of butter for the cream and a shower of chopped herbs (parsley, mint, thyme, marjoram, oregano, whatever. You have and it goes well with lemon flavors ).
Asparagus is especially suitable for Frixa Care and now, in mid-May, are still plentiful, cheap and good, here in Lucca. I did not cook Frixa For many years, but I suddenly remembered it, from the lemons that seem to be for sale at my green grocery store. On impulse I bought some of these huge and yellow Sicilian balls and at home, my dinner was a matter of 10 minutes. I ate it with toast and the contrast of textures and flavors was excellent.
My asparagus bunch counted 16 spears and I ate them alone, with nothing else on the side – still, a generous plate. I would say, it’s enough for two eaters, with another small portion.
Clean the asparagus, peel them and discard the tree edges. Cut them into short lengths, 3 to 4 cm.
Fry a little finely chopped onion, about half small. It must not get color but it must soften well: to do this it must be salted immediately.
Add the asparagus, salt and toss in oil. If you have, pour a glass of white wine: I used carbonated beer and the dish came out lovely ..
Add a little hot water to prevent them from drying out, cover the pot and cook until softened.
Meanwhile, beat 2 egg yolks with a little lemon juice, add it by the teaspoon until happy. Obviously you can always add more at the end, so go easy now.
When the asparagus is ready, the dish should be moist but not soupy.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest uncovered for a minute. Add the lemon yolks and mix well.
Add a little water at room temperature if the dish looks dry – you are aiming for a velvety sauce.
Add a tablespoon of small butter and some chopped fresh herbs (parsley and mint for me).
Taste the dish: You may need more lemon. Slightly grated pecorino on top, making it richer and served with toast.
fool around:
You can also add cooked chickpeas, to create a more substantial dish, as well as waxed potatoes, cooked separately and cut into cubes.
Obviously this can easily turn into a pasta sauce: you will need to increase the yolks, perhaps.
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Nato fuorimilano, lungamente a Londra, ora in Sempione (Mi). 2013 update: ritornato in the UK. Aperto un ristorante a Lyme Regio, nel Dorset Update 2015: venduto il ristorante e tornato a Londra … ora bisogna re / inventarsi … Il mio blog in italiano è: www.qbbq.wordpress.com (qbbq = Quanto Basta Basta Quanto) il mio blog / mini sito in English è: www.italianhomecooking.co.uk —————— I was born just outside Milan, so I lived in London, now back in Milan. Update 2013: I returned to the UK, we bought a restaurant in Lime Regis, Dorst Update 2015: More in London: We sold the restaurant and now it’s time to reinvent ourselves ….. Let’s see what happens … My blog in Italian is: www.qbbq .wordpress.com My blog in English is: www.italianhomecooking.co.uk
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