Fritelle di Patate

The Occupation and the Activity

Today I made Fritelle di patate also known as Potato cakes with leeks and bacon (however for my recipe I didnt have leeks or bacon). This is an italian cooking recipe which i would classify as a challenge or leisure activity. Recipes like this are done for necessity as it means I have something to eat for dinner, however it is also done for meaning, as it is engrained in italian history. Every person has a different purpose for cooking. I am doing it as a challenge and for leisure however also for necessity as I need to learn to cook so that when I have kids or have family over that I can cook a meal for them.

The occupation and Identity

Cooking has been a womans role for along time. Hundreds of years ago, woman would stay home and cook while the men were working and being the breadwinner. However now roles have changed and it all depends on the people. It is the norm to cook for dinner and to try and make it different and fun. Cooking is done whenever people want and where ever people want. Depends if people are in the mood or if they have have facilities. I identify this occupation as leisure but also for self care, as everyday you need to eat and by cooking you are satisfying that need. There is recognition of cooking, you just have to look on TV at such shows as Master Chef that glorify cooking. There are also cooking competitions , you just have to look hard to find these. Cooking is a great way to express yourself as you can be as creative as you like, there are no limits really !

Technical Aspects

Materials used :
600grm potatos, peeled and roughly chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 egg yolks
10gram cheese
60g plain flour
Salt (optional)


Equipment required
Stovetop
Potato Masher
Fry pan
Saucepan
Cup
Fork
Benchtop

All equipment and materials were sourced from the house or from the supermarket.

How to make Fritelle di patate

Boil potatoes in plenty of slightly salted water until tender, drain and mash
Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, add the leek and bacon, and saute over a medium heat
, stirring from time to time to ensure it doesnt burn
Add the egg yolks, cheese, flour and pinch of salt, to the mash. Then add the leek and bacon and mix well. With your hands, take a little of the mixture and form flat rounds
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan. Cook the potato cakes over a medium heat on both
sides until golden
Remove, drain on kitchen paper and serve.

The Environment

I learnt this occupation in my own home environment, however nothing stops you from learning it anywhere else. As long as you have the equipment and facilities nothing is stopping you from making it ! This can be anywhere from your own home, to someone elses home or on a BBQ even ! Cooking is quite a social activity and is also educational. It is more fun to cook with a friend or in a group, and you are also learning while you are cooking so very educational. Physical environment you need a specific amount of items and equipment and space to make this recipe.

Learning the occupation

Instructions are posted above.  Safety considerations that I found out today was to be careful when using the cheese grater. I managed to grate my finger and do quite a good job. All I can say is be careful and keep your fingers away from the cheese grater. It is not nice to grate your finger at all.  Also another tip is making sure you get the exact amount of the ingrediants. Again I had to guess today as we dont have scales. The potato cakes didnt turn out as firm as I would have liked, would have been beter if i measured out the ingrediants properly.

Participation Barriers and Affordances

Having my boyfriends support and encouragement really helped my participation. I find it alot easier and am more motivated if I have a reason to cook, todays reason was to make dinner, as I had been getting a bit slack ! The only barrier I encountered was that we didnt have leeks or bacon in our cupboards, however this didnt stop me, it still worked and still turned out well, however would have been nicer if it had all the ingrediants though ! Next time I will make sure I have leek and bacon so we can see how it really tastes. Also barrier was grating my finger, it meant I had a lack of movement and had to be more careful afterwards. Made it also difficult to flip the potato cakes.

Personal reflection

This recipe is so much fun and so easy to do, It is great if you have little motivation or time (like me!), I am super glad I found motivation to do this , however next time would be great if I didnt grate my finger ! I will be trying this recipe again but this time with leek and bacon, and Im sure cooking will be something I will continue on with, as it really is a necessity !