Sicilian rascatura was born from the art of recycling. A way to recover fried leftovers and create an amazing finger food.
The art of recycling in the kitchen It has very ancient origins. In fact, it dates back to ancient times, when we couldn’t afford to have food left over – it rarely happened – and we worked hard to reuse it.
In this, especially the poorer classes or the peasants were masters. With what little they had available they managed to bring to the table tasty dishes which then entered the popular culinary tradition.
And with them leftovers, or rather him waste, they created new, even tastier dishes. Along the same lines, the Sicilian scrapingwhich involves the recycling of fried foods.
In every city of splendid and sunny Sicily you can taste wonderful dishes fried. Finger food to carry around and enjoy while admiring the beauty of the place. And the leftovers? New dish: scraping. Even tastier. Try doing it too.
Sicilian rascatura: the art of recycling fried foods
Who went in Sicily at least once, especially a Palermoyou can’t help but have tasted them panels. Very tasty chickpea flour pancakes which are usually served inside soft sesame buns. After mixing the chickpea flour with water and salt, cook it on the heat, stirring continuously for about 10 – 15 minutes until it hardens. Add the chopped parsley with the heat off and then roll out the dough to a thickness of about half a centimeter. After letting it cool and Harden well cut it into many rectangles and fry it.
These are the panels, and alongside this dish there are many other fried foods: arancini – or arancine, depending on the area – and croquettes. And from the waste of these mixtures the famous one is born scraping. There is no precise recipe, as it is made with waste: it all depends on what is left over. So, whether you live in the North or the South, you too can recycle your fried food waste and create this goodness.
How to prepare it
To prepare the Sicilian scraping at home all you have to do is “scrape” the pans and dishes you used for your fried foods, i.e. panelle, crocché or other. You have to knead crush these scraps with a fork to create a workable mush, and then flavor with herbs and spices to taste. For example parsley and paprika.
When the mixture is homogeneous, It forms balls the size of a walnut pressing them well to compact, and then fry them in abundant oil until they are golden. Drain them on absorbent kitchen paper and serve with a sprinkle of lemon. You will never throw anything away again!
