I made these wonderfully versatile fritters at the Farmers Market today and they were a huge hit. What is so wonderful is that you can substitute the vegetables for what ever you have available. I blanched a little broccoli off and roughly chopped up the whole lot, stalks and all. Try to vary the textures and taste. You could also add some cooked chickpeas, add fresh corn etc etc.
WILD GARLIC FRITTERS (foraging fritters)
Serves 6-8
55g spinach, and rocket leaves (beetroot and mustard leaves are also delicious)
10 wild garlic flowers
1 celery stick
½ bunch spring onions
Handful fresh dill or fennel leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Groundnut oil for frying
15g butter
Batter
250g plain flour
375ml sparkling mineral water
Chop the spinach, rocket and dill leaves . Feel free to substitute other seasonal greens or leave out any that are unavailable. Trim and finely dice the celery and spring onions, pick over the garlic flowers and add to the mixture. Sprinkle the mixture with salt and leave for 10 minutes, then wash well, squeezing out as much water as possible. Mix everything together thoroughly.
Make the batter by whisking the flour and water together until smooth: Best to use whilst fresh. Using a spoon, add the greens to the batter at a ratio of two portions of batter to one of greens. You can make the fritters any size you fancy. Season well.
Heat the oil and butter together in a frying pan and drop in spoonfuls of the mixture. Cook on both sides until crisp. Eat hot and especially good with Tzatziki (cucumber, yoghurt and garlic sauce).
Alison Lambert