With surplus courgette that would be leftover from the main course and a couple of egg whites sitting in the fridge, this little starter was whipped up in no time!
... from scratch, you'd need:
- Courgette - half a courgette works out well for two people, serving a couple of fritters each
- Onion, Garlic & Chilli - onion should be about half the volume of the courgette, the chilli de-seeded and thinly sliced and wild garlic work out really well if you can get hold of some
- Sea salt, black pepper and spices - coriander and cumin give this a warming Middle Eastern flavour
- Eggs - Use one or two whole eggs or just the whites if you've used the yolks for something else and are wondering what to do with the whites
- Starch - for binding; arrowroot, manioc, cassava, potato, whatever it is you use
- Fat - for shallow frying
Season.
Crack in an egg and mix with a fork. The egg should give the mix a sloppy feel. Add another egg if you don't think it's quite wet enough.
Spoon in the starch a little at a time and mix into the courgette. I use polvilho azedo (or, "sour starch"), the kind used for those Brazilian Cheese Puffs. You're looking for a loose mix, but don't sweat it if it looks too loose.
In a skillet, warm a generous amount of fat - goose fat, in my case. You can pour the fat into a ramekin for another use after cooking.
Using a spoon, drop in dollops of the courgette mix and cook through. They will self-level, so no need to press down or stress about rounding the shapes. Flip over a couple of times to ensure that the fritters are well cooked each side.
Serve up with a cooling bowl of yoghurt and lemon juice alongside. Don't do dairy? Squeeze some lemon juice over and enjoy.
