Frico is a typical dish of Friuli and is similar to another popular Alpine dish called Rosti. Both consist of thin pieces of fried potato and cheese, creating something akin to cheese “crisps”. As the area was rather impoverished in the past, this dish was a way of using and recycling bread crusts so as not to waste any food at all. It is made using high-fat hard cheeses, preferably and traditionally either Montasio or Asiago. Frico is made in thin wisps or in loaf-like or pancake-like shapes that are fried in a pan and which can then be sliced. It is not usually eaten on its own or in its own right and is generally used as a garnish in soups or stews.
This tasty dish is very quick and easy to make and is an economic way to use food. If you want to try the authentic thing, find a holiday rental in Friuli and use the recipe below to taste it first!
This tasty dish is very quick and easy to make and is an economic way to use food. If you want to try the authentic thing, find a holiday rental in Friuli and use the recipe below to taste it first!
Ingredients
Serves four people.
400g of potatoes
400g of cheese (Montasio or Asiago, if possible, but other high-fat seasoned hard cheeses will do if you are stuck)
Method
1. First, you need to grate the potatoes. Be sure not to grate them too thin or it won't work. Aim for something that looks like skinny fries. Alternatively, you can chop them into thin slices that look like crisps.
2. Next you need to grate your cheese. Again, you don't want to grate it too thin – perhaps the second thinnest side of your grater.
3. Now you need to mix the two together before placing the entirety in a non-stick pan.
4. Cook the frico until a crust forms and it looks something like a pancake or omelette and then turn and do the other side as well. Be careful not to burn it! In the end, you want something that looks solid and which is a nice gold in colour.
Once you've tried this tasty little dish, you're sure to imagining an Alpine holiday with some hot soup topped by frico as you warm up and gaze across the beautiful landscape. It's certainly a dish to make sure you try if you visit Friuli Venezia Giulia!
Serves four people.
400g of potatoes
400g of cheese (Montasio or Asiago, if possible, but other high-fat seasoned hard cheeses will do if you are stuck)
Method
1. First, you need to grate the potatoes. Be sure not to grate them too thin or it won't work. Aim for something that looks like skinny fries. Alternatively, you can chop them into thin slices that look like crisps.
2. Next you need to grate your cheese. Again, you don't want to grate it too thin – perhaps the second thinnest side of your grater.
3. Now you need to mix the two together before placing the entirety in a non-stick pan.
4. Cook the frico until a crust forms and it looks something like a pancake or omelette and then turn and do the other side as well. Be careful not to burn it! In the end, you want something that looks solid and which is a nice gold in colour.
Once you've tried this tasty little dish, you're sure to imagining an Alpine holiday with some hot soup topped by frico as you warm up and gaze across the beautiful landscape. It's certainly a dish to make sure you try if you visit Friuli Venezia Giulia!
Photo credit: Dorothy61n1 / CC BY-SA 3.0