For a vegetarian appetizer or main course, the cheese potato and broccoli cakes with a melting heart and Parmesan fondue are the highlight for lunches or dinners in the winter period, but in other seasons they can be prepared by replacing broccoli with other vegetables, such as zucchini, pumpkin, chard, chicory, spinach, turnip greens, so there’s plenty to experiment with, and every time something tasty and really delightful is brought to the table, also very quick thanks to the combination of cooking in the air fryer and microwave for the potatoes. These cakes are so tasty that you can even omit the melting provola inside, but you know I always like to surprise, and indeed one does not expect the melting and tasty heart that amazes. The Parmesan fondue is like the cherry on the cake, it makes the vegetables special, enhances them, a perfect meeting of flavors. These cakes are so good and simple that even children love them, I added a bit of chili, but not too spicy, for children they can also be made without pepper, the taste is delicious nonetheless.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Air Frying, Microwave
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients for Cheese Potato and Broccoli Cakes with Melting Heart and Fondue
- 25 oz potatoes
- 18 oz broccoli
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste dried chili
- 5 oz provola or smoked scamorza cheese
- butter and breadcrumbs for molds
- 5 oz fresh cream
- 3.5 oz Parmesan cheese
Tools for Preparing Cheese Potato and Broccoli Cakes with Melting Heart and Fondue
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Pot
- 1 Plastic Wrap
- 1 Potato Masher
- 1 Spoon
- 8 Muffin Cups
- 1 Slotted Spoon
Steps
Clean the broccoli into florets, wash them, and cook in boiling water until tender. Drain and leave them in a bowl after mashing them with a fork.
Wash the potatoes, dry them, place them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and cook on high power in the microwave for 7-10 minutes, or until cooked. The times vary depending on the power and size of the potatoes; ideally, choose not too large and similar-sized ones.
Once the potatoes are cooked, cut them in half and place them in a potato masher one by one to obtain a potato puree.
Add the broccoli to the potatoes, mix with a spoon to even out the mixture. Add salt and pepper and, if desired, chili. I love homemade chili, dried, then baked and coarsely ground when crispy. Mix well.
Prepare the muffin cups greased with butter and lined with breadcrumbs. Also, prepare the provola or scamorza cut into cubes.
Start filling the molds with the mixture, leaving a hole in the center where you place 3 cubes of provola each, and close with more mixture, leveling the surface well.
Place the muffin cups in the air fryer basket and cook at 356°F (180°C) for about 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, place the cream and Parmesan and prepare the fondue over low heat, stirring occasionally to melt the Parmesan well. Keep the fondue warm in the saucepan.
Unmold the cakes, turn them onto a serving plate while still hot, pour a bit of fondue over them, and now you’re ready to enjoy a real treat: cheese potato and broccoli cakes with a melting heart and delicious Parmesan cream.
