These delicious little appetizer treats are so ridiculously easy to make that they barely warrant the title of ‘recipe’.

Frico are no more than oven baked crisps of finely grated hard cheese such as Parmigiano Regianno, Grana Padano or Percorino Romano; I used a combination of Parmesan and Percorino here and I like to spike them with a little cayenne for extra bite.

You can mix the grated cheese with a variety of tasty things such as finely minced fresh rosemary, freshly ground black pepper, ground cumin, smoked paprika or whatever else takes your fancy that’s compatible with cheese and doesn’t add any moisture.

They take exactly six and half minutes to cook to perfection in my oven but ovens vary, so watch them like a hawk and check their progress after 4-5 minutes as you don’t want them to brown/burn; they should be a lovely deep golden color.

Frico will keep very well at room temperature in an airtight container for about a week – there’s no need to refrigerate them.

You’ll need baking parchment or one of those silicone baking mats.

Frico – Parmigiano Reggiano

FAST and FABULOUS FRICO

(Makes 16)

Ingredients:

16 heaped tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan, Grana Padano or Percorino Romano cheese (the good stuff)

Cayenne pepper mixed into the cheese, to taste

Action:

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

Line a large baking sheet/tray with baking parchment and working in two batches, pile 8 heaped tablespoons of cheese onto the tray, flattening the cheese into about 3 inch (7-8cm) rounds, keeping them about an inch (2-3cm) apart. You want the Frico to be crisp rather than chewy, so be sure to flatten them well.

Bake them in the preheated oven for 5-6 minutes or until they’re melted and golden.

Cool the Frico completely on the baking tray (this only takes a few minutes), then carefully remove them with a thin metal spatula.

Serve them with cocktails and other nibbly-bits – or they’ll keep for up to a week at room temp in an airtight container.

Note: if you’re making a large batch, store them in an airtight container in single layers separated by sheets of baking parchment.