How To Recreate Pizza Fritti At Home

Even those familiar with all the little-known facts about pizza may not be aware of pizza fritti. Sometimes referred to as pizza fritta, it is essentially fried dough that evokes thoughts of dessert pizzas that give savory pies a run for their money. Still, there is more to making one than simply sticking some dough in a fryer. Jasper's Restaurant boasts it serves the best Italian in Kansas City, so we asked the owner, chef Jasper J. Mirabile Jr., how to make pizza fritti. w was happy to share his knowledge of the dish that is near and dear to him.

Chef Mirabile reminisced about his days as a youth when he was first exposed to pizza fritti. "This is something that my mother would make after she made her pizza. Such great memories of standing by the stove, waiting for it to be finished and eating it and enjoying it."

As for how it is made, chef Mirabile said, "It was a leftover dough that she would put a little olive oil in the pan and sometimes she would spread it out to look almost like a very uneven pizza. Sprinkle it with sugar and put it in the frying pan and cook on each side." A heavy-bottomed pan with three cups of vegetable oil works best. Once you have your dough oiled and seasoned with sugar — cinnamon too if you want to spice it up a bit — fry on each side until it has puffed up and achieved a stunning golden brown color.

Americans are widely believed to love fried foods, but Italian cuisine must also be acknowledged as a fried food-lovers' paradise. From the simple panzerotti to the more complex arancini, Italian fare is ripe with fried dishes meant to please even the pickiest palate. There is an Italian phrase that embodies this adoration: "Fritti sono buoni anche gli zampi delle sedie" — which translates to "Fried, even chair legs are delicious."

This appreciation of fried foods gave birth to the humble pizza fritti, a dish never meant for the affluent. As chef Mirabile explained, "This was the cuisine of the poor, the leftovers that you would never throw away, and you can even make a sandwich with the real crispy pizza fritti." This food is thought to have originated in Naples during World War II when impoverished Italians sometimes referred to it as "the pizza of the people." Ever since, it has been a beloved sweet treat served in homes and restaurants across the Garden of Europe. Don't forget to carry cash if you order one in Italy because cash is still king in the pasta promised land ... and bring an appetite because fried dough can be filling.