A flavor that conquers: my cheese and egg bites with tomato. This traditional dish, with variations in name and preparation, is a timeless classic that combines the simplicity of eggs and cheese, widespread in many regions of Central and Southern Italy.
We mostly made it in the summer because it could also be eaten cold; with fresh onions, tomatoes, and basil that added a typical Mediterranean aromatic note.
My parents always had livestock, we got milk and then cheese. Not all shapes were suitable for sale, so we used them for family consumption. The garden was an integral part of our life, as were the chickens for fresh eggs.
There was a lot of self-production and nothing was wasted; including good cheese but with some cracks, or too many holes, and then it was used for fillings and omelets, or for cheese bites precisely, now I call them bites, their name was cheese fritters. “Fritters” is a universal word to describe a mixture of various nature, mainly vegetable, but sometimes leftovers of boiled meat, sausage, or ham ends were included. In dialect “i frittelli!”
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Spring, Summer
Ingredients
From cheese to fresh eggs. Garden tomatoes, onion, and basil.
- 7 oz Grated Grana Padano (Or pecorino, mixed, or any type of grating cheese to recover.)
- 2 eggs
- as needed breadcrumbs
- 24 oz tomato sauce (Preferably rustic.)
- 1 onion
- 1 cup olives
- as needed dried oregano
- 1 bunch basil (fresh, if possible)
Useful Tools and Shopping Tips
Bowl for mixing, frying pan, saucepan for the sauce, grater, scale…
- Bowls
- Pans
- Saucepans
- Graters
- Scales
Steps
Combine the eggs and cheese, mix well until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Sauté the onions cut into thin slices and add the tomato with oregano, olives, and basil; season with salt and finish cooking.
After mixing well, form into balls and…
Roll them in fine breadcrumbs. Fry in hot oil, they will flatten, because the cheese will tend to melt.
Then transfer them to the saucepan with the sauce and give them a slight cook: about 5 minutes.
Serve this delicious dish hot. It’s also excellent cold, and will win you over with its aromatic variety. A great prelude to “scarpetta” with good homemade bread.
Some more advice.
A complete dish ideal for summer dinners, accompanied by roasted polenta is incredibly good. When splurging, do it with gusto. This is a good rustic second course, a starter in mini bowls, finger-licking good. Preferably store in the fridge, instead of rustic sauce, you can also use cherry tomatoes.
