BROCCOLI PARMESAN FRITTERS
Makes about 20
1 head of broccoli, separated into florets
250ml flour
80ml grated Parmesan
10ml garlic salt
5ml baking powder
2ml ground black pepper
1 egg
125ml milk
oil, for frying
rocket for serving
Parmesan shavings for serving
Cook broccoli in a pot of boiling, salted water for 5-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, Parmesan, garlic salt, baking powder and pepper.
Whisk together the egg and milk and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Add the broccoli florets and, using a fork or potato masher, mash the broccoli.
Heat a frying pan over moderate heat. Once hot, add a little oil, drop tablespoons of batter in the pan, leaving space between each. Cook until slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side until golden.
Drain on paper towel.
Serve with rocket, a dollop of sour cream and Parmesan shavings.
BEETROOT AND GOAT’S CHEESE FRITTERS
Makes about 20
2-3 medium beetroot, about 350g
1 red onion
salt and pepper
250ml self-raising flour
1 egg
125ml milk
150g goat’s cheese
oil, for frying
gravlax with mustard dressing, for garnish
lime wedges, for serving
Scrub the beetroots thoroughly, and then grate coarsely. Peel the onion and grate. Add to the beetroot.
Season with salt and pepper, and then add the flour.
Whisk egg and milk and add to beetroot. Mix well. Crumble in goat’s cheese and mix gently.
Heat a little oil in a nonstick frying pan. Carefully drop generous spoonfuls of mixture into the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just starting to crisp. Turn and cook the other side.
Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Repeat until all the batter is finished.
Cut the gravlax into slices and divide among the fritters. Spoon over some dressing and serve with lime wedges.
l These fritters go well with either smoked salmon or trout. We used a packet of gravalax (salmon) that came with a mustard dressing. This is available from Woolworths.
As a substitute, you can top your salmon or trout with a dollop of creamed horseradish sauce.
ONION BHAJIS
Makes about 15-20
20ml sunflower oil
2 medium onions, peeled, halved and sliced
5ml cumin seeds
250ml chickpea or gram flour
5ml baking powder
3ml turmeric
5ml ground cumin
2ml chilli powder
3ml salt
2 eggs
30-45ml water, to form a batter
60ml coriander leaves, chopped
oil for frying
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and cumin seeds over a moderate heat for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
Mix the flour, baking powder, turmeric, cumin, chilli powder and salt together.
Whisk the eggs and water together and gradually add to the dry ingredients, just enough to form a batter.
Stir in the onions and coriander leaves.
Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or deep fat-fryer. Test to see if the oil is hot by dropping a piece of bread or slice of onion into the oil – it should sizzle and go a golden brown colour. If the oil is too hot, it will smoke when adding food and burn easily.
Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil (4 or 5 at a time) and fry until golden. Drain well on kitchen paper and keep warm while cooking remaining batter.
COURGETTE AND HALOUMI FRITTERS
Makes about 20
200ml flour
5ml baking powder
2 eggs
125ml milk
4 medium courgettes, grated
500ml grated haloumi cheese
1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
80ml chopped parsley
5ml paprika
5ml dried mint
salt and pepper
oil for frying
250ml Greek yoghurt
5-10ml harissa paste
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk the eggs and milk together in a jug and add to the flour. Whisk until smooth.
Place grated courgettes in a dish cloth, roll up and squeeze out excess moisture.
Stir the courgettes and the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, into the batter.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and fry until golden on both sides and cooked through.
Drain on paper towel.
Repeat with remaining batter.
Combine the yoghurt and harissa paste and serve with the fritters.
SWEET RICOTTA FRITTERS
Makes about 40
4 eggs
100ml castor sugar
250g tub of ricotta cheese
5ml lemon zest
10ml lemon juice
250ml flour
15ml baking powder
a pinch of salt
oil for frying
icing sugar for dusting
Mix together the eggs and sugar, then add the ricotta, lemon zest and juice.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Add this to the egg mixture and mix until smooth. Do not over-mix.
Fill a pot or deep-fat fryer half full with oil and heat until oil gets to 180°C. Drop 4-5 teaspoonfuls at a time in the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Remove and drain on paper towel. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately. - The Star