Piedmont — fritto misto piemontese is the feast preparation of the Torino, Asti, and Cuneo provinces. The combination of sweet and savoury elements on the same plate reflects the medieval Italian banquet tradition where the distinction between courses was not yet established. The preparation requires the full 10-20 elements to be considered truly 'misto'.
Fritto misto piemontese is the most ambitious mixed-fry preparation in Italian cooking — not a simple antipasto plate of fried rings and vegetables, but a full meal of 10-20 different fried elements spanning both savoury and sweet registers: brains, sweetbreads, liver, kidneys, cotoletta, salsiccia, crocchette di patate, zucchini, artichoke, cauliflower, apple fritters, amaretti fritters, semolino dolce (sweet fried semolina), and zabaione fritters. Each element is separately battered or crumbed and fried in order of cooking time. The combination of offal, vegetables, and sweet elements on the same plate is specifically Piedmontese — a relic of the medieval and Renaissance tradition where sweet and savoury were not separated in a meal.
Fritto misto piemontese on a large platter is the most opulent fried preparation in Italian cooking — the golden-crispy sweetbreads and brains alongside the fried artichoke and crunchy apple fritters, all on the same plate. Moving between savoury and sweet, between offal and vegetable and fruit, it is a preparation of extraordinary variety. The semolino dolce, sweet and rich in the centre, is the discovery that makes this specifically Piedmontese.
The batter: 2 eggs beaten with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt; add flour to make a thin batter (the consistency of double cream). Alternatively, milk-soaked bread for some elements, egg-and-breadcrumb for others. Fry in abundant neutral oil (peanut oil is traditional) at 175-180°C. Order of frying: offal and meat first (brains, sweetbreads, liver — 3-4 minutes); then vegetables (artichoke quarter, cauliflower florets, zucchini — 3 minutes); then sweet elements (apple slices, amaretti fritters — 2-3 minutes). Drain on paper; season with salt immediately on removal from oil. Serve on a large platter in the Piedmontese tradition — all elements together.
The sweet semolino dolce (dense semolina cooked with milk and sugar, cooled and sliced, then battered and fried) is the most unusual element and the most Piedmontese in character — it transforms a savoury fry into a sweet one midway through the plate. Brains (cervella) and sweetbreads (animelle) require brief blanching in lemon water before battering. The full traditional fritto misto requires a team effort — one person battering and one frying.
Oil not hot enough — cold oil produces greasy, not crispy results; the oil must be genuinely hot at 175-180°C before adding the first piece. Frying too many elements simultaneously — the oil temperature drops if too many pieces are added at once; fry in batches of 3-4 pieces. Failing to serve immediately — fritto misto is one of the preparations that must be eaten within 5 minutes of frying; it cannot wait.
Anna Gosetti della Salda, Le Ricette Regionali Italiane; Giorgio Locatelli, Made in Italy