Gluten-Free Scagliozzi (Neapolitan Fried Polenta)

Wander the old streets of Naples and you will find scagliozzi sold hot from paper cones: crisp golden triangles of fried polenta, salty and craggy, eaten with your fingers walking. It is cibo di strada (street food) and, like so much of Naples’ best eating, it was gluten-free long before anyone thought to say so. Cornmeal, water, a little cheese: that is the whole story.

Gluten-Free Scagliozzi (Neapolitan Fried Polenta)

Naples' street-food classic: crisp golden triangles of fried polenta. Naturally gluten-free (just cornmeal, water and a little cheese); the main risk is a shared restaurant fryer. Perfect crunchy aperitivo snack or side.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 250 g medium cornmeal (polenta) certified gluten-free, see notes
• 750 ml water
• 1 tbsp grated Parmigiano
• Salt
• Sunflower oil for frying, see notes

Method

 

1. Boil & stir: Boil salted water. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Stir 30–40 minutes until thick and glossy. Stir through the Parmigiano.
2. Set & cut: Pour into a tray to about 1.5 cm thick. Cool until firm, then cut into triangles or rectangles.
3. Fry to crisp: Fry in sunflower oil until golden. Serve warm, with aioli, spicy ketchup or tomato sauce.

Notes

Coeliac notes
• Cornmeal must be certified gluten-free: maize is naturally GF but polenta is frequently milled with wheat.
• Frying is the biggest risk. Scagliozzi are naturally GF, but deep-frying in shared oil that has cooked battered/breaded food contaminates them, the classic trap in a Neapolitan friggitoria. At home use clean oil; eating out, ask whether the fryer is used only for gluten-free food.
• Parmigiano is naturally GF: grate your own (pre-grated can carry a wheat-derived anti-caking starch); omit for vegan.
• A Campanian cousin of Ligurian panissa and Sicilian panelle. When a label is unclear, treat it as "not for me".

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