Polenta Fritters from Leaves from The Walnut Tree: Cooking of a Lifetime by Ann Taruschio and Franco

Ingredients

• pinch of sugar
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 g/3½ oz finely chopped Parma ham (use scraps)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 350 g/12 oz polenta flour
• 300 g/10 oz Fontina cheese
• 1 litre/1¾ pt milk, plus 1 ladle
• 1 beaten egg
• 24 slices Parma ham, cut in half
• fresh breadcrumbs made from day-old bread or Japanese breadcrumbs
• olive oil (sufficient for deep-frying)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1½ kg/3½ lb plum tomatoes, roughly chopped