Fried Semolina Disks – Rotelline di semolino
This dessert is so fulfilling that sometimes I eat it as a complete meal.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
2 1/4 cups milk with a slice of lemon zest
1/2 cup (heaping) finely ground semolina
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. butter
For the coating:
3/4 cup finely ground dry bread
1 beaten egg
6 Tbsp. Butter for frying
powder sugar to sprinkle
Instructions:
1. Warm up the milk in a nonstick pan and when it starts to boil add the semolina flour a little at a time and mix using a wire whisk.
2. Once the semolina is added continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to thicken.
3. Remove the pan from the stove and add the sugar, the butter and the egg yolks.
4. Wet a smooth surface with water and place the mixture. Flatten it down with a large wet knife or a glass.
5. Cut the semolina mixture into disks using a glass. Use the excess to make other more rounds.
6. Dip the disks into the egg and then coat them with bread crumbs.
7. Melt the butter in a medium non stick pan. Fry the disks a little bit at the time on both sides. Be careful not to burn the butter. In case it gets brown change the pan with new one.
8. Place the disks on a paper towel to eliminate the extra butter and serve them on a plate sprinkled with powder sugar.
9. Sprinkle the top with cocoa powder through a fine mesh strainer.
10. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Notes:
The semolina disks can be prepared hours ahead you just wait to coat them before frying.
Hi. What a find! I’d been trying looking for this recipe for ages as it goes by a variety of names. My dear great aunt used to call it “crema fritta” o “polenta fritta” although there’s no cream in it and it came from “cucina povera”….maybe using just one egg and frying in whatever fat was available, (even pig fat, “strutto”, that could be had cheap from any local farmer after they’d killed a pig before the winter set in…not an option now of course, and substituted by lighter veg. oils, but it was used a lot for “frittelle” and “crostoli”, typical fried sweets of carnival time in Northern Italy. So thanks for the recipe and all the best!
Hi Cristina I’m happy you found the recipe you were looking for. Crema fritta for us is a thick cream breaded and then fried. Here’s the recipe if you’re interested. http://www.cookingwithpatty.com/italian/recipe/fried-custard-cream-crema-fritta/