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COURGETTE FRITTERS

I know the word fritter conjures up a complex world of deep-frying and dense-eating, but these are light, simple babies - just grated courgettes, mixed with feta, herbs and spring onions, stirred up with flour and eggs and dolloped into a frying pan to make little vegetable pancakes which, unlike most fried food, are best eaten not straight out of the pan, but left to cool to room temperature. This takes any slaving over a hot stove element out of the equation: you just spoon serenely away over your pan before anyone's around.

I like these best as a starter - or just as they are, along with a green salad, for a meat-free, summer's lunch.

Ingredients

  • Nigella Recipe
  • Vegetarian
  • 4 courgettes (approx. 750g)
  • 5-6 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 250g feta cheese
  • Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
  • Small bunch fresh mint, chopped, plus extra to sprinkle over at the end
  • 1 tablespoon dried mint
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 140g plain flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • olive oil for frying
  • 3-4 limes

Method

  1. Coarsely grate the courgettes with either the grating blade in the processor or by hand.
  2. Spread the little shards out on a tea towel and leave for about 20 minutes to get rid of any excess wetness.
  3. Put the chopped spring onions in a bowl and crumble in the feta. Stir in the chopped parsley and mint, along with the dried mint and paprika. Add the flour and season well with salt and pepper. Gradually add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly before stirring in the drained, grated courgettes. Don't be alarmed by the unflowing straggly lumpiness of this batter; it's meant to be this way.
  4. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and drop heaped dessertspoons of the mixture into the hot oil, flattening the little cakes down with the back of the spoon as you go. Cook these little patties for about 2 minutes each side until golden, and then transfer to a couple of waiting plates.
  5. Chop up the limes and tumble them about the edges of the plates. Sprinkle over a little more chopped mint and eat them just as they are, spritzed with lime juice as you go.
  6. Additional information - for vegetarians check that the feta is a brand that doesn't use animal rennet.

Comments

  • So easy to make and just delicious, made them for the in-laws and for once they were really impressed with my cooking. Thoroughly recommend any level of cook try making them, a great way to use up a courgette glut from the garden and so sweet and fun to eat I think they could fool children into enjoying their vegetables.

    Posted by southsider on 16th Aug 2011 at 18.12