Vegetable Fritto Misto With Lemon Mayonnaise

Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/8 cup water

Fritto Misto

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 small cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
• 4 ounces green beans, halved
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Lemon Mayonnaise

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)

Directions

1. 1

   For the fritto misto: In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about 1/3 of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 1 minute.).

2. 2

   Mix the egg and water together to make the egg wash. Dip the cauliflower, green beans, fennel, garbanzo beans, and lemon slices in the egg wash, then dredge in the flour to coat. Fry the dredged ingredients for 1 to 3 minutes until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.

3. 3

   For the lemon mayonnaise: In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise and lemon juice together until smooth. Pour into a small dipping or serving bowl.

4. 4

   Arrange the fritto misto on a platter and serve with the lemon mayonnaise.

5. 5

   If you don't want the lemon mayo, a good squeeze of fresh lemon does the trick too! Try this with other vegetables too. I'm going to do eggplant and zucchini next.