L ifestyle /C ulture
Dispatches from Italia on Jewish Food
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
ON A RECENT TRIP to Italy,
I uncovered some culinary
gems that say grazie to both
the past and present Jewish
communities. But first, some history: Jews
migrated to Italy in the 1400s,
fleeing the Spanish Inquisition.

They were welcomed by the
Medici and other influen-
tial Italian leaders and were
respected as skilled artisans,
bankers and patrons of the
arts and sciences. A century
later, Pope Paul IV began a
campaign of persecution, but
despite this Jews remained
in Italy and brought many
culinary traditions to Italian
cuisine. One such dish is “ fritto
misto,” or mixed fried, a
heavenly, crunchy indul-
gence of assorted batter-fried
vegetables. Artichokes are
generally the star of this dish,
but broccoli, caulif lower,
potatoes, zucchini, string
beans, etc., are all fair game.

We had an amazing version
at a kosher dairy restaurant
called Ba’Ghetto Milky. The
restaurant is located in “Il
Ghetto,” the historically Jewish
section of Rome, so delineated
by the aforementioned Paul IV,
who required that all Jews live
in the neighborhood starting
around 1555.

We had fritto misto, a green
salad and a margarita pizza,
which was one of the best pizzas
I’ve ever had. It embodied the
perfect nexus of crispy, chewy,
f lavorful, tomato-cheese-y
pizza perfection. I would not
even begin to attempt the pizza
— clearly the magic resulted
from the local ingredients and
the type of brick oven used
to cook it, but I managed to
replicate a respectable version
of fried zucchini in homage
to the fritto misto I enjoyed in
Rome. This would be a great
Chanukah dish!
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM ZUCCHINI FRITTI
Serves 2-4
This can be made with water or
nondairy milk if a pareve dish
is desired.

2 unpeeled zucchini, cut in
lengthwise strips about
¼ inch wide and 2 inches
long 2 eggs
¼ cup milk or water
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Sprinkle of cayenne pepper,
if desired
Canola or vegetable oil for
frying In a shallow bowl or pie
plate, beat the eggs with the
milk or water. In another
shallow bowl or pie plate, mix
the flour, salt, pepper, garlic
powder and cayenne.

Dredge the zucchini pieces
in the egg, then the flour, and
place them on a rack.

Pour the oil into a skillet; it
should be about ¾-inch deep.

Heat the oil to 375 degrees F and
carefully place several pieces of
the coated zucchini into the oil.

Do not crowd the pan.

Let the underside of the
zucchini turn brown and
crisp, about 45 seconds. Do
not attempt to flip until this
occurs or the batter will fall off.

Flip the zucchini, make sure
all sides are crisp and browned
and, when done, place them on
a plate lined with a paper towel
to drain. Repeat until done,
and serve immediately.

Zucchini fritti
in the region — it does not
refer to the lingerie.

In 1847, a royal decree
allowed local butchers to
produce all-beef sausage to
meet the needs of the Jewish
community, which eschewed
pork. In the rest of Italy, this
was prohibited — pork sausage
was regulated as the norm.

Traditionally, Bra sausage was
eaten raw, and nowadays is no
longer produced with all beef;
the demand for it decreased,
and most Italian sausage now
contains at least 30% pork.

I took a cooking class with a
Piedemontese chef who demon-
strated a sausage ragu and
explained the history of the Bra
Photos by Keri White
sausage and, in homage to the
19th-century butchers who came
up with a way to cater to the
Jewish customers, I have adapted
the recipe to meet a kosher diet.

Any type of sausage can be used
here — turkey, veal, beef, even
vegan — and it is a wonderfully
hearty winter pasta dish.

“Bra sausage” ragu
Water/broth as needed
1 large tomato, peeled,
seeded and chopped
In a large Dutch oven, heat
the oil, and add the sausage,
seasonings and vegetables.

Sauté until the sausage begins
to brown and the vegetables
are softening.

1 tablespoon olive oil
Add the wine, and bring it
to a simmer. Add broth/water
1 pound bulk sausage or
links removed from casing as needed; there should be
some liquid in the pan during
1 carrot, minced
the cooking process. Add the
1 celery, minced
tomato. Simmer for about 40
1 onion, minced
minutes until the sausage
Salt/pepper to taste
is cooked and tender and the
1 teaspoon chopped fresh
vegetables are soft and almost
rosemary disintegrated. Serve over pasta. l
1 cup red wine
“BRA SAUSAGE” RAGU
This covers 1 pound of pasta,
and serves 6
Bra sausage was developed
for the Jewish community in
Cherasco in the Piedmont
region of Northern Italy in the
mid-19th century. Bra is a city
JEWISH EXPONENT
NOVEMBER 25, 2021
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