Spaghetti Fritters with Parmesan dip

These fritters are incredibly delicious. They are a version of a Sicilain peasant dish that uses up left over cooked pasta, mixed with the last remnants of a meat sauce- and then fried into a crispy, moorish snack. Frugality at its most creative and 

When I opened Norma I decided to put this version on the snack menu and it they were an instant hit- selling hundreds of portions a week. 

Serves 4

300g very fine spaghettini, cooked in salted water and then tossed with some olive oil

200ml fresh chicken stock

1 egg beaten

200g grated parmesan cheese

30g butter

sea salt, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil

1.5 litres ground nut oil for frying

Parmesan sauce

200ml double cream

100g grated parmesan cheese

Bring the chicken stock to the boil, reduce by half and whisk in the butter. Pour this over the cooked pasta and toss through well ensuring everything is coated. Now stir in the egg and half the parmesan, some seasoning and mix well again. 

Start to shape the pasta into fritters: wind up the spaghettini with a fork into arox 5cm diameter spirals and then place onto a large plate sprinkled with grated parmesan.

When all the pasta is used up sprinkle with more parmesan. Lay a piece of parchment paper on top and then another plate. Now place a weight such as a tin on top to press down the fritters, place in the fridge for at least 1.5 hour to set.

To make the sauce, pour the cream into a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil, simmer and reduce by 1/3. Whisk in the parmesan, ensuring it completely melts and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Season well and keep warm.

Heat the oil up in a fryer or deep sided pan to about 170oc (a piece of bread dropped in should fizz and brown straight away) carefully- in two batches drop in the fritters and fry them until golden brown and crisp. Drain well on kitchen towel and sprinkle liberally with more parmesan. Serve with a pot of the parmesan sauce for dipping in.