Everybody loves a fritter, says food writer Lauraine Jacobs. Photo: Liz Clarkson Photography 2015.
She chats to Jesse Mulligan about how to make the most of wintertime vegetables and shares a recipe for healthy and easy beetroot and carrot fritters with mint, lime and yoghurt dressing.
TIPS:
- Peel the carrot and beetroot in advance.
- Grate them with coarse grater - one that makes the long shreds if you have it.
- Once they're grated, sprinkle them with a bit of salt and place them on a paper towel briefly to draw out any extra moisture.
"Then, at the end, you're not going to get that gluggy mess at the bottom of your bowl." - Have your pan hot at the beginning then reduce the heat.
- Cook only three or four fritters at a time. If you crowd the pan or they won't cook properly.
RECIPE:
Makes about 8-10 fritters.
Ingredients
· 1 medium beetroot
· 1 large carrot
· A little salt
· 1 tsp thyme leaves
· 2 eggs
· 3 tbsp flour
· ½ tsp baking powder
· ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
· Grapeseed oil for shallow frying
Method
Peel the carrot and beetroot and grate with a coarse grater. Sprinkle with a little salt and place on paper towels for a few minutes to draw out excess moisture. Add the herbs.
Beat the eggs in a bowl until almost frothy, tip in the flour, baking powder and pepper, and mix with a metal spoon until just combined. Combine all ingredients together gently.
Heat about 1cm depth of the oil in a heavy frying pan. Drop tablespoons of the batter into the pan and fry gently for about 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook the second side until the fritters are crisp and cooked through. Remove to a paper towel for any excess fat to drain away.
Continue to cook spoonfuls of the batter, about 3 or 4 at a time, until the batter is used up.
Serve while warm a dressing made with mint, lime and yoghurt.
Lauraine Jacobs is the food columnist for the NZ Listener.
You can find more of Lauraine's recipes on our website and on her blog.
