Frittatine di pasta — Neapolitan pasta croquettes

Prepare a shallow pan with internal dimensions about 18 × 24 cm, lined with parchment, a saucepan for béchamel and a pot for pasta. For frying, use a stable pot about 18 cm in diameter and at least 12 cm tall. Set aside 5 g butter for the peas and 40 g for the béchamel. Do not prepare extra flour for dusting, fat for the pan, eggs, cheese or breadcrumbs.

Melt 5 g butter in a small saucepan, add all the frozen peas and the weighed 50 g water. Cover and cook gently for about 5–7 minutes until the peas are soft. Near the end, uncover and evaporate free liquid without scorching the peas. Add all 100 g cooked ham and heat for about another minute. Keep all the contents, including butter and juices; do not drain and do not add oil.

Bring the weighed 2000 g water to a boil without salt. Break the dry bucatini into three pieces, add all 180 g and cook for about a minute less than the package's al dente time. Drain for about a minute without rinsing; do not add the cooking water to the mixture. Put all pasta in a bowl and carefully shorten with kitchen scissors to pieces about 2–3 cm long. Use all the cooked pasta without weighing out a portion and discarding the rest.

Melt the remaining 40 g butter in a saucepan. Add 45 g type 550 flour and stir over low heat for about 2 minutes without browning. Gradually pour in all 350 g milk, whisking vigorously to smooth out lumps. Bring to a gentle bubble and cook for about 4–6 minutes, stirring constantly along the bottom. The sauce must be very thick, leaving a clear spatula trail and dropping in heavy portions; it must not pour like milk.

Add all the hot béchamel and all peas with ham, butter and remaining juices to the pasta. Add the weighed 3 g salt and 0.5 g pepper. Mix thoroughly, scraping sauce from the saucepan and bowl bottom so all pasta pieces bind together. The mixture should be cohesive and creamy without a separate puddle of liquid. Do not add cheese, egg or extra milk, and do not drain off any filling.

Transfer all the mixture to the prepared pan and press level with a spatula to form an even slab about 2–2.5 cm thick. Scrape everything from the bowl; the parchment needs no grease. Leave for about 20–30 minutes until it stops steaming heavily, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Before cutting, it must be cold throughout and firm enough to hold its shape.

Only just before frying, mix 150 g type 550 flour with 1 g salt. Gradually add all 200 g cold water, whisking into a smooth, thickly flowing batter without lumps. Do not add eggs, baking powder or breadcrumbs. It should leave a thin, continuous coating on a spatula; stir again before subsequent batches. Do not fry leftover batter separately.

Lift the cold slab out by the paper and transfer to a board. Remove the paper, divide the short side into three and the long side into four: this makes twelve squares about 6 × 6 cm. Use everything without cutting circles or discarding edges. If a corner crumbles, press it back onto its own piece. Keep croquettes awaiting frying in the refrigerator so they do not soften on the counter.

Pour all 800 g oil into the prepared narrow pot; it should form a layer about 3–4 cm deep, clearly below half the pot's height. Heat over medium heat. A drop of batter should rise and immediately sizzle steadily and clearly, without smoking oil or rapid darkening. Set a dry paper-lined plate and a slotted spoon beside it. Do not use wet utensils and do not add water to hot fat.

Take only two squares from the refrigerator for each batch. Gently dip each in batter, supporting it underneath with a fork or dry spatula, and let excess drip back into the bowl. Coat every side in a thin, continuous layer without thick drips. Do not coat in breadcrumbs. Batter left after preparing all twelve croquettes is outside the served dish; do not pour it into the oil.

Carefully slide two coated pieces into the oil away from you. Fry for about 4–6 minutes per batch, gently turning once the coating sets, until every side is golden and crisp and the center is thoroughly heated. Adjust the heat so the coating does not darken immediately. After lifting them out, let the oil heat back up. Fry six batches this way; with pauses, the total takes about 35–45 minutes.

Lift out with a slotted spoon, hold briefly over the pot and transfer to paper without stacking. Wait about 2–3 minutes before eating because the center is hot. Serve each batch as it is ready, after the brief draining and rest. Serve six portions of two pieces without extra sauces or toppings. Oil left in the pot and on the paper is not part of the portions. Refrigerate cooled leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 2 days; reheat at 180°C for about 12–15 minutes until hot inside.