Fried ‘lampascioni’ with cream of Rossini cheese and vincotto syrup

AICI – Associazione Insegnanti di Cucina Italiana

Recipe by Beatrice Cassano

(for 6 people) 500 g ‘lampascioni’ (approx. 20-25 medium-sized bulbs of a leopoldia comosum plant) extra virgin olive oil, to taste salt, to taste FOR THE ROSSINI CHEESE CREAM : 200 g Rossini cheese 150 ml fresh cream FOR THE ‘PEARLS’ OF VINCOTTO : 200 ml vincotto (or balsamic vinegar) 2 g powdered agar-agar 125 ml peanut oil

Clean the lampascioni, removing the outer skin, and wash carefully. Dry well and make a deep, star-shaped cut on the top of each, leaving the base intact.
Fry in boiling oil, immersing them head first. When they have opened up like a flower and become golden brown and crispy, drain and dry using kitchen roll. Lightly salt.
Finely chop the Rossini cheese using a mixer. Heat up the cream to boiling point; remove from the heat and slowly add the chopped cheese, mixing with a whisk until you get a cream of the right consistency.
For the vincotto pearls, keep a glass of oil in the fridge for 5-6 hours. Mix the agar-agar with the vincotto and bring to the boil for 2-3 minutes; leave to cool. With the help of a kitchen syringe, allow a few drops of the vincotto mixture to fall into the cold oil: they will form jelly-like pearls. Drain and lightly rinse to get rid of any excess oil.
Serve the lampascioni, garnishing with a little cheese cream and some vincotto pearls arranged between the petals. The vincotto pearls can be kept in the fridge for 4-5 hours.