The first time I had frico, I was living with friends of friends outside of Florence, Italy. We were sitting on a patio overlooking the olive groves, sipping a crisp local white wine, when the hostess put down a plate of crisp lacy frico. I will never forget how perfectly delicious the crispy parmesan cheese with a generous sprinkle of black pepper tasted in that setting with that wine. Food can be a flavor memory that transports us in a single bite to another time and place; this recipe does that for me.
This simple cheesy cracker comes together in minutes, and the ingredients are often already in the refrigerator. I like to use a combination of Parmesan and pecorino and always freshly ground pepper. Perfect with a glass of wine before a nice dinner.

Parmesan Cheese and Black Pepper Frico
Ingredients
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan about 2 ounces
- ¾ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese about 2 ounces
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking mats.
- In a medium bowl, gently toss together the cheeses.
- Arrange heaping tablespoon-size mounds of the cheese mixture on the baking sheets, spacing them at least ½ inch apart. Using your fingers, gently pat down each pile to flatten. The cheese will melt into a lacy web. Grind pepper over each mound.
- Bake until golden and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets until set and firm, then gently transfer to a serving plate using a spatula.