Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane (Neapolitan Pasta Fritters)

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Sometimes I marvel at the sheer number of delicious things that there are to eat and discover in Italian cuisine. Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane are extraordinarily scrumptious Neapolitan pasta fritters that are an important part of the incredible street food scene in Naples. These fried parcels of heaven are crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. In a word: dreamy. While there are many varieties of Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane, I’ve developed a recipe for a very popular (and mouthwatering) version. This variant includes a mixture of bucatini pasta, peas, ham, cheese, and béchamel. After this mixture cools, cut it into rounds, batter it, and fry it. What could be bad about that?

Even though I’ve been visiting Naples regularly since 2006, these Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane were unfathomably not on my radar! I only recently discovered them at two pizzerias in Caserta, another city in the Campania region.

The street food repertoire in Naples is vast. One might think about Crocchette di Patate (potato croquettes), Frittelle Napoletane (fried dough), Pizza Fritta (fried pizza), Pizza a Portafoglio (little folded pizzas), Il Cuoppo (fried fish served in a paper cone), Taralli Napoletani (crisp, ring-shaped savory biscuits with almonds, pepper, and lard), Mozzarella in Carrozza (fried mozzarella sandwiches) and more. I’ve had them all. How on earth did I miss these?! (So sad…) Not only do I know about them now, but I’m going to make up for lost time by making them a lot! I hope that you will do the same.

Background on Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane

Italian cuisine is full of amazing dishes originally invented as a way to repurpose leftovers. Oftentimes, these creations are more enjoyable than the original dish! Over time they take on a life of their own and become classics. These pasta fritters are a fine example of this phenomenon. Apparently, Neapolitan pasta fritters started out as a way to use up leftover pasta. During difficult times, it would have been unthinkable to waste. A mom would add grated cheese and egg to leftover pasta, then pan-fry the mixture. Voila, you now had something new and yummy.

Subsequently, they became more elaborate. Other ingredients like béchamel, leftover meat ragù, peas, ham, cubes of provola or scamorza cheese, cured meats, or other odds and ends were added. To many, the most classic version of these fritters contains bucatini or spaghetti, béchamel, ground meat, possibly a little tomato-based ragù, grated cheese, cubed smoked provola cheese, sometimes ham, and peas. There are two ways to prepare this version – with the meat, peas, and cheese stuffed into the center of the pasta and béchamel, or mixed all together with the pasta and béchamel.

Even though Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane supposedly originated in the home, they are now an iconic street food item. You find them at pizzerie, rosticcerie (shops with pre-made foods), and friggitorie (shops offering fried foods).

Notes on the Recipe

In my recipe, I use ham in place of the ground meat. This variety of Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane is what I had in Caserta. Also, it’s the most common version of frittatina that I found in my research. It is divine, easy to make, and still very traditional.

Before I get to the recipe, I want to highlight a few things to set you up for success. First off, for those of you in the USA, the metric measurements are easy to use and remember. I find it easier to memorize recipes with this system of measurement versus US volume or weight measurements. I provide you with both but suggest that you use the metric amounts.

The Pasta

Generally, you prepare frittatine with a long pasta shape like bucatini or spaghetti. If you can get your hands on bucatini, it is the preferred choice. In order to cut clean circles out of the cooled pasta mixture, you cut the noodles first. This also helps to create a more pleasant eating experience. It is simplest to do this by enclosing the raw pasta length-wise in a kitchen towel and wrapping the ends like a caramel candy. Once the pasta is secure in the towel, break it into quarters by snapping the pasta against the edge of a table while holding both ends of the towel. This way, no pasta will fly around the room and you will have even pieces as in the picture below.

If you are using leftover cooked bucatini or spaghetti, simply chop it on a cutting board or snip it with some scissors before incorporating it with the rest of the ingredients. You are looking for lengths of 8 cm (3 inches) or so.

When cooking your pasta fresh for this recipe, cook your pasta 3 minutes less than the time marked on the pasta package. That way, it won’t overcook when you fry the fritters. Also, to stop the cooking, run the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking. Then toss with a tiny bit of oil to prevent sticking.

According to one Neapolitan journalist that I admire, supermarket pasta is all you need to make a good frittatina. There is no need to splurge on bronze-died pasta for this. A good supermarket brand such as DeCecco, Rummo, or Molisana is good enough.

The Ham & Peas

When I am talking about ham, the term is prosciutto cotto in Italian. I am referring to cooked ham, not cured (as in Prosciutto di Parma). Make sure that you do not buy a smoked ham. You don’t want that flavor to take over.

For the peas, a lot of people simply use canned or boiled peas. To add more flavor, I prefer to cook frozen peas with some onion or shallot. Once the peas are tender, I then add the ham and cook them together briefly to meld the flavors.

The Cheese

My favorite grated cheeses for this dish are either Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano. Please do not use cheese from a canister… There is no substitute for the real deal.

You will also need a melty cheese. I prefer smoked provola cheese (provola affumicata). Since provola is difficult to find, even where I live in Bologna, you can substitute it with either scamorza cheese, smoked scamorza cheese, supermarket mozzarella like Polly-o (which is similar to scamorza), fior di latte (fresh cow’s milk mozzarella which you would have to cube and drain for a few hours to remove excess liquid), or young provolone cheese.

As long as you stick within this family (pasta filata) of melting cheeses, you’ll be in good shape.

The Béchamel Sauce

The amount of béchamel sauce in the recipes that I researched varies greatly. I chose a ratio of two parts béchamel to one part pasta. You will end up with a creamy croquette that is not dry and pasty in your mouth. A good amount of béchamel also helps hold the mixture together when cutting and forming them.

When making a béchamel sauce, it is important to prevent lumps from forming. I was taught in culinary school to add the milk slowly to achieve a lump-free sauce. Recently, my brother-in-law told me that he saw a French chef dump all of the milk at once into his roux instead of adding it slowly. It works! Give this method a try as it’s faster and less fussy.

The Formation

After you combine the pasta and other ingredients together you need to place the mixture into a straight-sided dish or sheet pan to chill completely. This will ensure that you have even fritters that cut easily and will be a cinch to handle. I like to line my container with parchment paper to make things neater and easier to clean. Press down firmly on top to create a very compact mixture. The height of these fritters varies, I like mine about 3 cm (1 1/4-1 1/2 inches) high. After you have done this, store the pasta in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour. I like to leave it overnight.

Before battering and frying, you need to cut the pasta mixture into rounds. I use a cookie cutter that is 8 cm (3 inches) wide by 5 cm (2 inches) high. Oil the cutter on the inside to prevent sticking. There will be no waste. After you cut your first batch of rounds, simply place any leftover scraps into the cookie cutter, pressing firmly down until you use up the rest of the pasta. Some people like to cut the pasta into squares instead of making rounds. Do as you prefer. If you do not have a round cookie cutter, simply use a glass.

If you want to serve these for a party or aperitivo, they would be an amazing addition to any menu. Cut them into small rounds to make them finger food. You can even cut the small rounds the day before and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to fry them.

The Batter

The batter (pastella) is incredibly simple to make. All you need is water (I prefer fizzy water), flour, and salt to taste. That’s it! You have a choice as to how thick you want the batter to be. I tried three different batters while testing as you can see in the picture below. The winner in my household was a ratio of 2:1 (2 parts water to 1 part flour). This ratio makes a thin batter that you dip the croquettes into with a fork, letting the excess batter drain away. You will end up with a light coating that is crisp and lightly golden.

While testing the recipe I also prepared a batter that was equal parts water and flour. This makes the fritter even crunchier with a whiter color in the end and dots of golden brown. If you watch guys on YouTube using a batter this thick, they take some of the batter in their hands and smear it all over the chilled pasta round to create a thin coating. Obviously, this is a messier process, so it gets a no from me… However, if you want a thicker and crunchier batter, this might be the way to go for you.

I also tried a third batter with slightly less flour (for example 200 ml water, 150 grams flour, and salt to taste). This worked too but left too thick of a coating for me. All of this is to say, you can play with this. I will list my winning batter in the recipe but you can experiment until you get the coating you desire. Taste for salt. If you have enough salt in the pastella, you will not need to add additional salt as your frittatine come out of the fryer.

Breadcrumbs

Note that some people dip their fritters in breadcrumbs after the batter. Purists scoff at this. Do as you will. I tasted a frittatina in Caserta with the breadcrumbs and it was really nice. It will give you more crunch and a more uniform golden color. I happen to prefer the batter alone.

Another thing to keep in mind is the quality of the bread crumbs. In the US, industrial breadcrumbs are full of additives, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and a ton of other ingredients you might not want to eat. Read your labels!

The Frying

You can deep fry these or fry them in a skillet. I fried mine in a skillet with about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of oil. As you fry, quickly and carefully baste the tops of the fritters with the frying oil to form bubbles and brown the frittatina nicely. If you visit Naples, you’ll see fry cooks doing this as they make fried pizza and these fritters. They look nicer if you do and I had more crunch on each side when I used this technique. The fritters cook rather quickly, about 4 minutes or so per side. You want the oil to be a minimum of 170 C/325 F and a maximum of 180 C/350 F. You don’t want to fry them so quickly that the cheese doesn’t melt inside.

To see if the interior is hot enough you can stick a skewer in one and feel the skewer on your lip. If it’s cool, the center is not hot enough.

So Much Deliciousness…

As I mentioned earlier, nowadays there are many versions of these Neapolitan pasta fritters. Besides the beloved version I share today, or the classic with ground meat and peas, other flavors might be: eggplant, tomato, basil, and mozzarella; sausage, friarielli (broccoli rabe), and smoked provola cheese; pistachio cream, mortadella, and provola; pasta with a Neapolitan “Genovese” sauce; frittatina with four cheeses, and so on. What yumminess…

Today I’m actually giving you a two-for-one. How? Well, another popular frittatina uses the leftovers of a soup called Pasta e Patate con la Provola. I just happen to have a recipe! Last night I made this soup because I was curious to taste a frittatina made this way. Since my recipe serves 6, we ate 3 generous portions then I chilled the rest overnight to make these fritters. With my leftover 3 portions, I managed to make 4 frittatine plus one mini one. My goodness were they delicious. Mercy. They are just as good as the version I’m sharing with you today. Just make sure to make a dense soup. You don’t want it to liquidy. I hope you enjoy these two forms of heaven on earth.

Final Thoughts on Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane

For those intrigued by Neapolitan street food, please watch this wonderful video by Vincenzo’s Plate. In this video, he samples many of the items I listed above, plus, he tries a frittatina at one of the city’s most iconic spots for a Frittatina Napoletana – the Pizzeria di Matteo. (I’ve been there a couple of times – how did I miss these frittatine! Aaah!)

Enjoy the recipe and let me know if you give them a try. Also, if you have had these in Naples. Where do you like them best?

Frittatine di Pasta Napoletane (Neapolitan Pasta Fritters)

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Serves: 10-12 Fritters

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• For the pasta & filling:
• 250 grams (9 oz) bucatini or spaghetti
• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion or shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 125 grams (4.5 oz) frozen peas
• 125 grams (4.5 oz) ham (prosciutto cotto), diced
• 125 grams (4.5 oz) cubed smoked provola cheese (or scamorza, smoked scamorza, fresh cow's milk mozzarella cubed & drained, sweet provolone, or supermarket mozzarella)
• 160 grams (6 oz) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, freshly grated
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• For the béchamel:
• 50 grams (1.75 oz) butter
• 50 grams (1.75 oz) "00" or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 500 ml (2 cups) milk
• freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• salt, to taste
• fresh cracked black pepper (optional), to taste
• For the batter:
• 200 ml (.85 cups) water or fizzy water, cold
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) unbleached all purpose or 00 flour
• salt, to taste
• fresh cracked black pepper, (optional), to taste
• oil for frying

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to taste once it comes to a boil.
2. While waiting for the water to heat, break the pasta into 4 segments. This is easily done by wrapping it in a kitchen towel and breaking it against the end of a table while holding the ends of the towel tightly.
3. Boil the pasta 3 minutes less than the time indicated on the package. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Place the cold pasta in a large bowl and toss with a spoonful of oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel sauce. In a medium saucepan, add the butter and let it melt. Once it's melted, add the flour and stir with a whisk to combine and prevent lumps. Whisk the butter and flour together for a few minutes to cook out the raw taste of the flour. Next, add the milk all at once, whisking all the while to avoid lumps. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid scorching. Once it's thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon, turn off the heat and season well with salt, pepper (if using), and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Set aside. If you want to prevent a skin from forming, cover it with parchment or plastic wrap.
5. Heat a skillet over low heat. Add the onion or shallot and cook, uncovered, until translucent and tender. Next, add the peas with a small pinch of salt and 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the peas are tender. Add water as necessary. This should take anywhere from 12-14 minutes. Add the ham and cook the mixture together, uncovered, for a few minutes to meld the flavors. Make sure that all of the water has evaporated. Check for seasoning. Let cool.
6. Next, mix the pea and ham mixture, grated cheese, and cubed cheese together with the pasta. Add a decent amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Lastly, add the béchamel sauce. Stir very well so that the pasta really melds with the béchamel. You can do this with a wooden spoon or in a Kitchen Aid with a paddle attachment. Taste for salt and pepper. Add more grated cheese if desired.
7. Place the pasta in a parchment-lined tray, casserole, or sheet tray to chill. Make sure that you have a height of at least 3 cm (1 1/4-1/2 inches). If you have an 18x27 cm (11x7 inch) pan, this is the perfect size. Top with another layer of parchment paper and press down firmly to create a very compact mixture. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour up to overnight.
8. Remove the pasta from the refrigerator. Lift it out of your pan with the parchment paper. Place on a cutting board. Cut the pasta mixture into rounds using an oiled cookie cutter. If you use a cookie cutter that is 8 cm (3 inches) in diameter, you should end up with 10 fritters. After you cut your first batch of rounds, simply use the scraps to make more rounds by pressing them firmly into the cookie cutter. You should have about 10 rounds.
9. Prepare the batter in a medium bowl. Add the cold water or fizzy water and salt to taste. Add pepper if desired. Slowly whisk in the flour until you have a lump-free mixture.
10. In a medium skillet place 2.5 cm (1 inch) of oil and bring to 170-180 C (325-350 F) using a kitchen thermometer. Once the oil is hot, place the fritters gently in the batter to coat, using a fork to dip them in the batter. Let excess batter drain and gently place the fritters in the oil. Don't overcrowd the pan. As your fritters cook, quickly and carefully baste them with the hot oil using a spoon to create a bubbly crust. Cook each side until golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. To check for doneness on the inside, take a wooden skewer and insert it into one of the frittatine. Carefully place it on your lip. If it is cold, you need to cook the inside more. 
11. Drain the fritters on a paper towel and serve immediately. If you need to reheat them at a later time, place them in 180 C (350 F) oven for 10 minutes.