Panzeroti (Potato Croquettes)

It's been about 10+ years since my family has had Panzeroti's.

My mother used to make them for Sunday dinner before she got Alzheimers. So I decided to try my hand at them.

The first thing I had to do was purchase a potato ricer. The potato's need to be riced or put through a food mill since mashing makes them too pasty.

Next, check out Mom's recipe...fortunately, I wrote down the recipe when she was still alive, but unfortunately, it didn't have any measurements, just how to put it all together? hmmmm...

But, I was looking through one of my many cookbooks and found one that my sister had given me, sort of as a joke....The Sopranos Family Cookbook!
Believe it or not, it had the recipe since our Italian family are Neopalitan, coming from Naples and so were the Sopranos, in theory...it worked!

The only difference was the addition of the Mozzarella cheese...I'll get to that shortly.

I'm cooking dinner today for 12 so this recipe will make enough Panzeroti so that everyone gets 2...Plenty!

10 White Rose Potatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped Hard Salami
1/2 cup finely chopped Parsley
3 or 4 cloves chopped garlic
5 Egg Yolks
1+ cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Boil the potatoes with the skins on. When knife tender remove from water and peel skins off.
In large bowl, rice potatoes, add all the ingredients above and mix together with your hands...it's the easiest.

Cut Mozzarella cheese into 24 strips, not too thick!

Take approximately 1/4 cup of the potatoe mixture in your hand and put an indentation in the center and lay a strip of the cheese in the middle and mold the potatoe around the cheese into 1" thick by 2" long logs, set aside.

Next, beat the egg whites into a froth. Put Breadcrumbs into another dish.
Dip the Panzeroti into the egg whites and then into the breadcrumbs and set on a rack for 30 minutes.




When you're ready, heat up frying pan with oil and fry Panzeroti's until brown, serve while hot.



My 87 yr old father was "thrilled" he hadn't had Panzeroti's in so long...He said I did a great job! That was worth all the work!




The rest of the menu:

Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
French Bistro Vegetables
Salad

Sunday Dinner....a tradition we must keep alive!