By the Book: Luca Manfè’s Frico

By Catherine Klene // May 23, 2014

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I have never watched “MasterChef,” Fox’s culinary competition where groups of home cooks duke it out for the chance to impress judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot to earn the title MasterChef. So when “My Italian Kitchen: Favorite Family Recipes” by Season Four winner Luca Manfè crossed my desk, I truly had no idea what to expect from him or the recipes.

If you love cookbooks for the culinary education and elegant food writing that accompanies photos of sumptuous dishes, “My Italian Kitchen” is not your read. Manfè’s first book is clearly tied to promoting his win as MasterChef (and presumably future seasons). Forewords from judges Ramsay and Bastianich are expectedly glowing, applauding the restaurant manager and home cook extraordinare’s perseverance in the face of cutthroat culinary competition -- and Ramsay’s yelling face. Manfè’s own introduction reads like an acceptance speech at a high school awards ceremony, praising the opportunity the show gave him and talking about how he’d “never won anything in his life.”

However, the advantage of a book written by a home cook is that the recipes are relatively simple, quick and delicious. You won’t find delicate chocolate tuile-topped desserts, obscure ingredients or preparations requiring immersion circulators or 17 pans. Manfè draws heavily on his family’s Italian roots in Fruili-Venezia Giulia to offer dishes that are varied, flavorful and true to the region.

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I decided to try Manfè’s Frico, a dish he declares “one of the most traditional dishes in Fruili.” Here is where his knowledge of the region’s rich culinary tradition shines; he goes into great detail about the dish and it’s history. Essentially, a frico is a large onion and potato pancake oozing with one pound (yes, a pound) of traditional Montasio cheese. And there are few things better in this world than a plate of molten cheese, especially when its encased in a crisp golden shell.

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The ingredients are simple and few (onions, potatoes, olive oil, cheese), but tracking down both aged and young Montasio cheese proved trickier here in St. Louis than in Fruili. However, Manfè advised purchasing one young cheese (no older than two months) and one aged at least six months; he recommended an Asiago or a young Gruyere. I found a two-month Kasseri and a six-month Asiago that melded beautifully together.

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The toughest part of this dish comes at the very end -- the flip. Sauce intern Mary Baker, who patiently sliced onions and grated potatoes, held the camera at the ready while I placed a dish atop a sizzling pan of bubbly cheese as Manfè instructed, to document the flip (and a potential worker’s comp case, I thought) and I wondered exactly how I planned to get this sticky, cheesy pancake back into the pan. Much like flipping that first pancake, it didn’t quite turnout as prettily as I’d hoped.

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Luckily, I am an expert at covering up culinary mistakes (from years of turning overloaded omelets into last-minute “scrambles”). After the frico thoroughly browned on the other side, I popped the serving plate on top and flipped it again, hiding the ugly, half-crusted side on the bottom.

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The result was gooey, stunning fried cheese held together by tender onion strings and soft potato shreds. The fried crust provided crunch and a delicious caramelized cheese flavor. Mary and I should have let the frico rest a few minutes before slicing, but after nearly 45 minutes of smelling sauteed onions and bubbly cheese, we couldn’t resist. Serve up this dish with a fresh green salad, a slice of toasted baguette, and, as Manfè insists, lots and lots of red wine from Fruili.

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Luca Manfè’s Frico
4 to 6 servings
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 white onions, very thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
8 oz. young Montasio cheese, cut into small cubes
8 oz. aged Montasio cheese, cut into small cubes
• Bring a small pot of water to a slow simmer over low heat and keep it warm. • Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook 20 to 30 minutes, until the onions are very soft, taking care not to let them get caramelized and adding a little hot water if the pan starts to get dry. • First, raise the heat to medium. This is where it gets a little tricky: Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes right into the pan with the onion (If that seems a little daunting, quickly grate them into a bowl and add them to the pan all at once.). Using two wooden spoons, work the potatoes and onions together until they are fully incorporated into a very sticky and wet paste; this will take about 5 minutes. Work that paste! We want to make it as homogenous as possible. • Add the cheeses to the potato mixture. Using two wooden spoons, work the mixture—grabbing it, lifting it up, stretching it and repeating—until all the cheese is melted and incorporated and you have a uniform paste; this will take about 5 minutes. • Smooth the mixture into an even layer to cover the pan’s bottom and cook until lightly browned on the bottom, 5 to 10 minutes (Use a spatula to lift and check on the color of the bottom crust.). Place a large round plate upside down on top of the pan. Turn off the heat, then very rapidly invert the pan and the plate together so the frico ends up on the plate. Set the pan back on the stove, slide the frico back into the pan, and turn heat to a medium-low. Continue to cook until a light brown crust brown crust forms on the bottom, 5 to 10 minutes. • I suggest serving this classic on a large wooden tray or even a cutting board.
Luca’s Tips:
Three simple but very important steps will give you a perfect frico: 1) Cook down the onions very slowly; 2) Grate the potatoes—don’t cut, chop or shave them; and 3) Most important, you absolutely need a nonstick pan to get that all-important crust. Don’t even waste your time if your nonstick is old and scratched—it will be impossible to flip your frico. It just won’t work!
Reprinted with permission from Stewart, Tabori & Chang Publishing
What's the best cheesy dish you've ever had? Tell us about it in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of “My Italian Kitchen.” We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column.
And now, congratulations to April, whose comment on last week’s By the Book column has won her a copy of "Giada's Feel Good Food.” April, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew.