Here’s a quick finger food idea that brings together three regions: mini Salento friselle simply dressed with dried Pachino tomatoes and cubes of Lombard Quartirolo.
The mini friselle were part of the gastronomic “loot”, now sadly used up, that we brought home after our last trip to Puglia. What a pity we didn’t stock up more! These mini friselle were really good! We tried them both rehydrated and dry, and they were excellent both ways. Dry they are like little crostini, similar to crisped bread slices, so we snacked on many of them plain as well as stuffed. In short, it was one of those purchases that deserve another little trip. Ever since we discovered Salento we can’t think of anything else but going back!
I also bought the dried tomatoes in Puglia, by the way. They aren’t from Puglia but from Pachino, of course, but would I find PGI Pachino tomatoes and let the chance slip to bring them home? You decide! 😀
I found the Quartirolo here in the usual shop where you don’t expect to find PDO products — and yet you do, and you buy them immediately without thinking twice. I knew this cheese by name but I had never had the chance to taste it before. Now I promised myself I’ll buy it more often, I liked it so much 🙂
It’s a young soft cheese (although I discovered it can be produced with longer aging too), delicate and light, slightly crumbly but compact enough to be cut into neat cubes without falling apart.
Do you like my new little tray? I bought it thinking I would use it for pastries, but I couldn’t resist… 😀
👇 Update: Here are other recipes where I later used the same tray! 🤪😄👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- Apulian friselle (mini size)
- dried cherry tomatoes (Pachino PGI)
- Quartirolo Lombardo cheese
- oregano
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic
- oregano
- marjoram
- chili pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- Plates dessert
Steps
First of all, dress the dried tomatoes:
☝ They will need a few hours of marinating, so I recommend preparing them in the morning or by lunchtime if you plan to serve them in the evening.
👉 If you don’t have time to marinate them, they’re great even without soaking, as they’re very small and thin. For example I used them without soaking in a pasta dressing (like this one) and in a focaccia (like this one). For these little friselle, however, I find the marinated ones more suitable because they’re softer and more aromatic thanks to the dressing.To dress them, proceed as I described in this recipe. In that case the tomatoes were Sicilian, from the Catania area.
After draining and drying the Pachino tomatoes, place them in a glass jar and season with chopped garlic, oregano and marjoram (or any herbs you prefer; thyme, mint or basil also work), chili pepper and a little oil—just enough to moisten them (it’s not necessary to fill the jar with oil; if kept in the fridge they’ll keep for several days).
Mix, close the jar and let rest for a few hours.
When you’re ready to assemble your finger food, it will take just a few minutes:
Moisten the mini friselle by quickly running them under a stream of water.
Cut the Quartirolo into small cubes.
Arrange the mini friselle on a plate or tray and top them with the dressed dried tomatoes and the cheese cubes.
Finish as desired with a drizzle of oil and some oregano.
Serve.
Great as an appetizer, perfect with your aperitivo, or as a simple but tasty snack.
Variation: this pairing of dried tomatoes + Quartirolo can also be used to dress classic frise; it won’t be finger food anymore but it’s worth a try, trust me.
Take a look at this recipe of mine and try enriching the arugula sauce (photo below) with a few dried tomatoes and crumbled Quartirolo… you’ll taste how delicious it is!! 😉
Salt-free tips
No additional salt is needed in this recipe, the ingredients are already salty by nature!
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually so the palate can adapt without noticing the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices: chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs: basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds: sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use pungent vegetables or fruits: garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granule
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid boiling in water; prefer cooking methods that preserve flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave).
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Allow yourself an occasional indulgence. It’s good for morale and helps you stick to the habit.
If you don’t want, or cannot, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes and season to your usual taste.
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On the WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page, on Pinterest, in my two groups: Il gruppo di Catia, in cucina e oltre and Proprio quello che stavo cercando! and if you like… subscribe to the Newsletter
