It's Aperitivo Hour: Tarongia Twist

Happy Aperitivo Hour!

Tonight, I'm serving my twist on tarongia, a delicious Sicilian snack traditionally made with fried dough topped with fennel, anchovy, and caciocavallo cheese. Instead of the classic dough, I used Indian flatbread and Trader Joe’s lavash.

Both turned out beautifully: crisp, savory, and just the right texture to carry all that bold flavor. The perfect bite to go with a glass (or two) of wine and ease into the evening.

Recipe for topping:

1 Fennel Bulb

Canned Anchovies (you can skip if you prefer)

Olive Oil

1 cup grated Caciocavallo

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

Remove the fronds from the fennel bulb and set them aside. Trim the bulb and slice it into 1/8-inch thick pieces.

In a medium sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the sliced fennel and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and golden brown—about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

Chop the reserved fennel fronds and mix them into the cooled fennel. Set aside.

To build using Indian flatbread (which I preheated in the oven to my desired crispiness), I spread a layer of the fennel mixture on top—roughly a quarter per piece. Then about two tablespoons of grated caciocavallo, four anchovies per flatbread (just enough to get that salty pop in every bite), sprinkle with fennel seeds and top with remaining cheese. For the lavash I just used a whole sheet topped it with the fennel mixture, fennel seeds, cheese and desired amount of anchovies.

A quick run under the broiler for both turned everything lightly golden and melty.

*mixture recipe for tarongia -Mario Batali