I love fritters of all kinds and this one is my favorite because I love broccoli! These are so tasty and easy to make. You can make these for lunch or dinner and have plenty of leftovers. You can make fritters of any kind. For the Jewish holidays, I always make potato fritters (latkes). I have made black bean and corn fritters, squash fritters, and leek fritters. They always come out delicious. For a more healthy alternative, you can bake the fritters instead of frying them. For this dish, I made a cheesy lemon orzo for the side instead of a lemon yogurt sauce. Anything with a lemon flavor will go great with these fritters.
Broccoli Fritters
Serving Size: 9 fritters
Total Time: 45 minutes
Source: Recipe adapted from SmittenKitchen.
3 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
1 large egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
A pinch of red pepper flakes or several grinds of black pepper
1/2 lemon zest and lemon juice
Olive or vegetable oil for frying
Step 1: Chop 3 cups of chopped broccoli. I include the stems in this mixture. Boil your broccoli until tender but not mushy about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the broccoli, then set it aside to cool slightly.
Step 2: In the bottom of a large bowl, lightly beat your egg. Add the flour, cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then, add the somewhat cooled broccoli and, using a potato masher, mash the broccoli just a bit. You’re looking to keep the bits recognizable, but small enough (1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks) that you can press a mound of the batter into a fritter in the pan. Once mashed a bit, stir or fold the ingredients together the rest of the way with a spoon. Adjust seasonings to taste. You can leave it more chunky or completely mashed but I prefer my mixture chunky.
Step 3: Heat a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, add a good slick of oil either olive oil or grapeseed oil, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Once the oil is hot (you can test it by flicking a droplet of water into it; it should hiss and sputter), scoop a two tablespoon-size mound of the batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spoon or spatula. Repeat with additional batter, leaving a couple of inches between each. Once brown underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 4: Transfer briefly to paper towels to drain, then to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil as needed. Serve with a yogurt lemon sauce or lemon orzo pasta.
Comments