Sgagliozze. From Bari. They don’t generally eat Polenta in the south of Italy. In fact a nick name here for northerners is “polentone” which roughly translated means “polenta eaters”. One of the exceptions is this dish from Bari. It is often available as a street food, especially in the old town. Many thanks to Memma for the recipe. She says they are her husband Michele’s favourite.

• 250g polenta flour, the quick cooking kind is fine.
• 1 l water
• salt
• oil for deep-frying

Boil the salted water, add the flour and mix it with a wooden spoon without making lumps.

When it is cooked (follow the instructions on the packet) pour it onto a board and form it into a thick rectangle. Let it cool down.

Cut the polenta into squares about 2cm thick. Allow them to dry out a little.

Fry the sgagliozze in very hot oil until crispy.

Filed under: Antipasto, Bari, Polenta, Puglia, Recipe Tagged: Antipasto, Bari, Italian recipe, Polenta