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1. Combine the flour, warm water, 3 tablespoons of oil and IIz teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl, stirring gently but constantly until the ingredients form a fairly smooth cream.
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2. Do not beat or overstir. For best results, set the batter aside and let it rest at room temperature for about 2 hours, although it may be used at once if it must.
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3. The 1 egg white should be beaten with a wire whisk or rotary beater until it is stiff enough to form unwavering peaks and folded into the batter just before using.
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4. Soak the pair of sweetbreads in several changes of cold water for 1 hour; then place them in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, add 1 quart of fresh cold water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt.
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5. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, reduce the heat and simmer the sweetbreads uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove them from the heat, drain and plunge them immediately into cold water for a few minutes to cool them. Drain them again and pat them dry with paper towels.
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6. Gently remove as much of the outside filament of the. sweetbreads as possible without tearing them. Separate the two lobes from the tube between them and discard the tube. Cut the sweetbreads into 1-inch cubes.
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7. Skin the chicken breast and cut the meat into strips about 2 inches long and ½ inch wide. Divide the cauliflower into small flowerets, place the flowerets in a saucepan with 2 or 3 quarts of boiling salted water and let them boil briskly for 3 minutes.
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8. Then plunge them into cold water and drain them. Peel the eggplant and zucchini and cut them into ½-inch strips; toss them with 2 tablespoons of salt to draw out their moisture and set them aside in a colander to drain. Dry and quarter the artichoke hearts.
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9. Heat 3 to 4 inches of oil or shortening in a deep-fat fryer to 375°F. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250°F and line 2 large shallow baking dishes or baking sheets with paper towels.
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10. Dry the eggplant and zucchini strips with paper towels and place them with the sweetbread cubes, strips of chicken breast, cauliflower flowerets and quartered artichoke hearts where you can get at them easily.
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11. Deep-fry the sweetbreads, chicken and vegetables separately: Drop 5 or 6 pieces at a time into the batter-into which you have just folded the beaten egg white.
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12. When they are well coated, lift the pieces out, one by one, with tongs or a slotted spoon. Hold th.em over the bowl for a second to let the excess batter drain off before placing them in the frying basket.
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13. Deep-fry, turning the pieces once or twice, for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the batter is golden brown. With tongs, transfer the browned pieces to a paper-towel lined baking dish to drain and place in the oven to keep them warm.
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14. Then dip the next batch into the batter and deep-fry it. When the last piece is fried and drained, arrange the fritto misto as attractively as you can on a napkin-lined platter and serve it garnished with lemon quarters.
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