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“L’arraffanata”, spicy pie made with radish and ginger

(“l’arrafanata”, tortino piccante al rafano e ginger)

A) A blended mixture composed by:
6 eggs
30 grams of radish root, peeled and cut in pieces
2 garlic cloves
2 spoons full of Parmesan cheese
1 spoon full of white flour
a big pinch of pepper
a big pinch of salt

B) A chopped mixture (made in the mincer) composed by:
20 grams of radish root and 20 grams of fresh ginger rhizome, both peeled and cut in pieces
4 spoons of olive oil

Separate the yolks from the albumen putting the former in the blender and the latter in a glass bowl. Blend the yolks together with the ingredients indicated at point A) in order to obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture, then put this stuff in a soup tureen. Whip the albumen, then incorporate this stuff to the one indicated above mixing very well. Take a frying pan, make it red-hot over a briskly heat, grease it with a spoon of oil, pour ¼ of the mixture composed by egg and radish, spread it all around the bottom of the frying pan by whirling and shaking it and when the egg will be a little bit condensed, turn like a normal omelette, by helping yourself with a plate. Brown very well, more than the previous part which should be less cooked and then, always whirling and shaking (and as soon as the smell of the roasted egg will reveal the right cooking point and the omelette will appear well rigid), take out from the heat, put on a plate, sprinkle with ¼ part of the chopped fresh radish and ginger. Repeat the same above operation for other 3 times with the remaining ¾ of ingredients as quick as possible, so that serve these omelettes very quickly and very hot..

You can notice that in this recipe we have not mentioned the cooking times. According to our opinion there is no need to indicate them and not because (as written by Artusi) "everybody is able to cook omelettes", but because we think more “judicious” to use the senses (in this case the nose) to fix the right cooking time. This sort of pie is certainly a very spicy and intense recipe, very suitable in the winter season when it is easier to find the radish, also at the Central Market of S. Lorenzo in Firenze (radish is normally difficult to find), because this is its season.

The Central Market is a dirty market, even if it is located in a very central quarter, completely abandoned and in decline but, at the same time, miraculously, it is still alive and incredibly well-stocked of everything and at incredible prices, also s regards as to the “big” distribution. In fact at the Central Market of S. Lorenzo it is possible to find vegetables, herbs, meats, fish and poultry at very cheap prices which are normally thought to be found in supermarkets. Therefore this market would deserve more attention and care both by the town-council and the same retailers, in order to reach an adequate recovery in the interest of all of us.

A Giuseppe Alessi recipe
Translated by Gianna Toni