Pumpkin Fritters

Pumpkin Fritter, a staple in our house when I was a child. My Mother made these often, but they had to be served with cinnamon and sugar. I loved them, but I've never quite got them right, until now. I always tended to put too much flour and left the pumpkin too wat, so the batter would be too runny. These are just right!

These fritters can be made either as a dessert and served with cinnamon-sugar, or as a side dish with beef, pork or ham, and they go surprisingly well with fish! The sweetness-with-spice is typical of the cooking style of the then Cape Malays. It's a down-home comfort dish and ideal for left-over pumpkin.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pumpkin, dry
125ml flour
2.5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
10ml baking powder
30ml white sugar
2 large eggs
oil for frying
cinnamon sugar, if used

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a processor.

If not using a processor, put in a mixing bowl, and mix well.

Add the eggs, and process well until a thick batter forms -- or mix well in the mixing bowl. The batter should almost hold its shape when tested with a spoon.

If the batter is too stiff, add a tiny amount of milk. If by any chance it is runny, add more flour.

Heat oil in a pan, using medium to high heat to start with.

Scoop up heaped tablespoons of batter, and drop into pan, but not too close together. You won't have huge fritters as some of the batter will stay clinging to the spoon.

Fry until firm and golden on the underside, then flip over and fry on other side.

The fritters will puff up slightly and keep their shape, but will deflate a bit as you take them out of the pan. To test for doneness, press very lightly on the fritters. When done, they will tend to spring back. If still uncertain, press harder: no batter should run out the sides.

Serve warm, either as a side dish, or as a dessert with plenty of crunchy cinnamon-flavoured sugar.

Cauliflower Fritters with Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:
For the Fritters:
350g cauliflower florets
125ml chopped onion
30ml flour
10ml chopped garlic
5ml dried oregano
2.5ml salt
2.5ml freshly ground black pepper
15ml lemon juice
250ml grated potato
250ml grated white cheddar cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
10ml olive oil

For the Sauce:
125ml plain Greek Yoghurt
30ml finely grated cucumber (peeled and seeded)
1.25ml salt
5ml chopped garlic
5ml lemon juice
60ml crumbled Feta
60ml chopped Kalamata olives

Method:
Steam the cauliflower for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Stir in onions, flour, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, lemon rind, potatoes, cheese and eggs. Form into 8 patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook patties in batches, 4 minutes on each side.

Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl. Serve with fritters along with feta and olives.

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Pumpkin Fritters

Ingredients:

A pinch of sea salt

2.5ml ground cinnamon

2 eggs

5ml baking powder

50ml flour

500ml cooked and mashed pumpkin, butternut or hubbard squash

Brown sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together except the sugar. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little milk.

Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in a little oil in a heavy based frying pan until golden on both sides: about 5 minutes.

Drain on paper towel, then sprinkle with extra cinnamon and brown sugar and keep warm.

Serve with chicken pieces, pork chops or grilled bacon.

Parsnips - Parsnip Fritters

Parsnips are one of my favourite winter vegetable. Their sweet taste is satisfying without being high in calories. The parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot, although they are paler than most carrots and have a stronger and sweeter flavour. Like carrots, parsnips are native to Eurasia and have been eaten since ancient times. They are a source of antioxidants, minerals, natural sugars and fibre.

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Parsnips are high in soluble fibre, the type that is great for digestion and aid the prevention of constipation. They help lower cholesterol and keep blood sugar on an even keel. They're a surprising source of folic acid, that B vitamin essential for women who are planning a family. Folic acid also plays a role in reducing heart disease and may help prevent dementia and osteoporosis bone fractures. Potassium, an aid to blood pressure, is present in ample quantities. Unlike their carrot cousins, however, parsnips lack beta carotene. Parsnips posses a high sugar content and are rich in Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Other vitamins include Niacin and Thiamine. Apart from their potassium content, they also provide the body with other minerals like copper, magnesium and manganese.

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Parsnips contain natural sugars which impart a sweet taste to the vegetable. The Elizabethans used parsnips as a sweetmeat with honey and spices as well as serving the root as a vegetable. The carbohydrate in the parsnip is stored in the form of natural sugars, as opposed to starches. Parsnips are considered sweeter than carrots. With almost three quarters of the sugar in parsnips as sucrose, the sugar we extract from sugar cane. Sucrose, though considered a no-no in the diet, is not at all damaging to health when consumed in its natural form from a plant source.

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The high level of soluble fibre contained in parsnips makes them a great inclusion in a cholesterol lowering, heart healthy diet and the folic acid content is of great benefit to expectant mothers and is also thought to help combat heart disease, dementia and osteoporosis. Interestingly, parsnips are also thought to improve bronchial function, so may be of particular help to asthma sufferers. The rich vitamin and mineral content of this humble root are also thought to give it diuretic and antioxidant properties and in natural medicine it has been used to treat kidney disease and for reducing obesity and cellulite and has been recommended to those suffering from anaemia.

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When choosing parsnips at the market go for crisp and firm, evenly coloured roots and store them in a plastic bag in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Use them within 4 to 5 days.

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Parsnip Fritters:

These are great with cold leftover turkey or ham from the Christmas dinner, or as a starter or an accompaniment to a meal. If served as a starter, serve them with a dipping sauce of Greek yoghurt mixed with mustard and chives.

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Ingredients:

750g parsnips

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme

1 egg

15ml butter

30ml flour

Grating of nutmeg

Oil for shallow frying

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Method:

Peel the parsnips and cut the flesh into rough 1cm cubes. Blanch them in a pan of salted boiling water for about 10 minutes until soft enough to mash with a fork. Drain and return to the pan for a minute, heating to steam off more moisture.

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Mash thoroughly and season with salt and black pepper. Stir in the garlic, thyme, egg and butter. Sprinkle with flour and a good grating of nutmeg. Beat together until smooth.

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Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan. Make rough balls of the parsnip mixture between two spoons and drop into the oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes each side, turning when the first side is crusted gold. Drain on kitchen paper and serve.

Cauliflower Fritters

For a snack, party finger food, starter or side dish to a main course,

try these moreish cauliflower fritters.

If served as a snack or finger food,

make small fritters and serve with a falvoured mayonnaise.

Ingredients:
1/2 a cauliflower broken into small florets
275g self-raising flour
100g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed with a little salt
50ml fresh parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
3 eggs, lightly beaten
10ml fennel seeds
60ml olive oil for frying

Method:
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the cauliflower and boil for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Drain well then set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, Parmesan, garlic and parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper then mix in the eggs to make a thick batter, adding a splash of water if it's too dry. Gently stir in the cauliflower and fennel seeds.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat then drop tablespoonfuls of the cauliflower mixture into the pan, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden, then turn them over and flatten slightly with a fork. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Courgette Fritters

I love the taste of courgettes;

they are nutty and sweet

and are such a good accompaniment to almost any main course.

They make a great base for fritters.

Ingredients:
3 courgettes, grated
1 onion, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
15ml olive oil for frying
2 eggs, beaten
100g gram flour
5ml garam masala

150g strong crumbly cheese - Cheddar, Feta or Lancashire

1 small green chilli, finely chopped

50ml fresh parsley or coriander chopped
50ml mint chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Method:
Place the grated courgette and onion in a colander and leave for 10-15 minutes to drain.
Squeeze out any excess water.
Fry courgette, onion and crushed garlic in olive oil until cooked and just starting to brown.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Make a smooth batter with flour, garam masala and eggs. (Add a little milk if the batter seems too thick.)
Add the crumbled cheese, chilli, parsley, salt and pepper and blend in.
Finally add the cooked courgette and onion and blend until thoroughly mixed.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and drop tablespoon-size portions of the mixture into the hot pan, a few at a time. Flip over when the first side is browned.
When cooked through and a little brown and crispy on the outside, remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

These fritters freeze well and can be reheated in a hot oven from frozen.

When heating them from frozen, ensure they are piping hot all the way through.

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