One of my favorite early memories of Rome is of a food and wine festival organized by kosher catering company Le Bon Ton. Members of the city's Jewish community showed up in abundance, dressed to the nines and ready to toast each other and return for seconds and thirds to the plentiful tables of food. Of everything I ate that afternoon, my favorite was the battered and fried vegetables, served hot and crisp in brown paper cones for easy (and stylish!) snacking.
Mixed fried vegetables (and sometimes fish), commonly known as fritto misto, They are loved by all Romans, but the frying method originally comes from Roman Jewish cuisine. Roman Jews call this dish pegazetti fritti (literally, “fried bits”) and fry everything from zucchini and mushrooms to onions, potatoes, cauliflower, sliced artichokes, and parsnips. Feel free to play with other vegetables when you make this at home. Roman dough is generally quite thick and completely hides what is inside. My version is a little lighter but still covers the ingredients very well. Serve the fried vegetables piping hot, with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over them.
