A crispy Italian potato-based treat… we’re pretty much making a hashbrown in the shape of a bowl and filling it with shrimp, tomatoes, and garlic. You can use any type of tomato you prefer, fresh or canned. I like to use quartered cherry tomatoes with most of their seeds removed. If you use frozen shrimp, I prefer to thaw them completely and pat them dry before adding them to the pan.
Canestrini means “little baskets”. They’re easier to make than you might expect, especially if you’re used to frying things. I definitely recommend using a deep fryer if you happen to have one, but as most people don’t we’ll aim for a small cast-iron frying pan – they’re the next best thing for “shallow” frying.
Modifications
There are so many different things you could fill the canestrini with. Go wild. A few variations I’ve seen:
- Mushrooms and Scamorza
- Speck and Gorgonzola
- Radicchio and Besciamella
- … get creative
Source: Roccoe-e i-suoi-fornelli.it
