
Feather Fritters with squash “spaghetti” and tomato sauce

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If l called these meatless meatballs, they would sound so earnestly vegetarian that youd probably pass right over them. But this is exactly what they areairy bread-based morsels that derive from the cucina povera of Italy. Ive had them in Puglia as appetizerslarge, light, and deep-friedbut here Ive made smaller spheres into a main dish, which includes a tomato sauce and spaghetti-like strands of winter squash. A wonderful rakelike tool made by Kuhn Rikon enables you to pull strands of squash off any of the delicious varieties of winter squash by dragging it over the peeled, uncooked flesh. If you dont have one of these gadgets, be sure to use spaghetti squash, which you can pull into strands with a fork. You have to play with your ingredients to end up with a mixture that can be molded loosely into a ball. Bread thats bone dry will absorb a lot more milk than fresher bread. Whats important is to use bread that has a strong crumb, or your fritters will be mushy. As for the tomato sauce, it can be either the quick or the long-simmered variety, both made from fresh tomatoes. If fresh is out of the question, know that you can also make a pretty good last-minute sauce using canned tomatoes, as here. Pureed squash, actual spaghetti squash, and greens also make good accompaniments to these flavor-filled spheres. To drink, stay in the region and have Primitivo or go to Sonoma for a Zinfandel.
ingredients
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serves: 6
4 slices thick stale country bread (about 1/2 pound with the crusts removed)
1/2-1 cup milk or more as needed
2 tablespoons chopped marjoram or oregano
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely diced onion or shallot
1-2 eggs, as needed
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil for frying
8 cups winter squash strands
Five-Minute Tomato Sauce
minced parsley or oregano for garnish
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount per Serving
Calories: 628
- Total Fat: 17.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 65.7 mg
- Sodium: 1106.2 mg
- Total Carbs: 89.6 g
- Dietary Fiber: 8.2 g
- Sugars: 12.8 g
- Protein: 30.9 g
preparation

comments
arlene
May 11, 2012