Crispy Frico with Soppressata

Crispy Frico with Soppressata

tags (edit): Advance Food & Wine Magazine Easy @Vogel @Try Soon! Snacks

In the Italian region of Friuli, frico -- the simple, enticingly crisp cheese disks -- are ubiquitous snacks that allegedly were slipped into hunters’ pockets by their wives. Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson recommends making frico with the classic Italian cheeses montasio and Piave: "If you’re a nut like that and can get aged montasio for your frico, it will change your life," he says of the hard-to-find, exquisitely nutty cheese. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a fine substitute.

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups Montasio or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (11 ounces), coarsely grated
1 1/4 cups Piave or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (5 ounces), coarsely grated
1/2 pound soppressata thinly sliced

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, toss the montasio with the Piave. In the corner of a large nonstick baking sheet, sprinkle 1/4 cup of the grated cheese in a 4-inch round. Repeat to make 3 more rounds on the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the rounds.

Bake the frico in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly melted and golden brown. Let the frico cool on the sheet for 2 minutes to firm up. Using a metal spatula, transfer the frico to a platter to cool completely; they’ll crisp as they cool. Repeat with the remaining cheese. Arrange the frico and soppressata on the platter and serve.

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Yields: 8 Servings
     Food & Wine magazine, February 2007, page 99

notes: MAKE AHEAD: The baked frico can be kept uncovered on a platter at room temperature for up to 6 hours.

WINE: Frasca co-owner and wine director Bobby Stuckey says, "Frico is Friuli’s greatest bar food, and a classic with a little glass of white wine." He suggests the 2004 La Roncaia Eclisse, a refreshing Friulian blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Picolit. A more widely available alternative would be a crisp South American Sauvignon Blanc, like the 2006 Santa Rita Reserva.

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