Thursday 26 March 2015

Moroccan corn fritters

Anyone who knows me and knows this blog knows that I'm not much one for "inventing" recipes. I'm a follower, and proud of it. I take recipes from professionals and cook them faithfully, and only after a few goes do I start mucking around with the ingredients and process.

This one came about because I was looking for something different to go with the magnificent Angus beef steaks I'd bought my husband and myself for dinner. It was meant to start as corn fritters, and be stacked with the steaks, wilted spinach, grilled asparagus and red wine jus. That all went out the window when Alan rang to say we had been invited to dinner with the chair of his board and could I be ready in 40 minutes. I had the batter ready to go and knew it wouldn't last the night so I quickly added the Moroccan elements, fried them up, kept covered overnight and served for breakfast this morning.


This recipe made 10. We ate them all this morning with cups of Yorkshire Gold tea. I seriously recommend you do so too.


Ingredients

400g tin corn kernels, drained and rinsed
1 zucchini, grated with moisture squeezzed out
2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
2 eggs
½ teaspoon Moroccan spices seasoning (from the spices shelf at your supermarket)
¼ ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying (I used rice bran oil - you want a high smoke point)
To serve: sliced avocado, sour cream, toasted pine nuts, extra ground cinnamon

Method

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (obviously not the oil, nor the ingredients marked "to serve"). It should be a bit wet, sloppy and look a funny browny colour. Do not be put off.

Heat a good whack of oil (you want at last half a centimetre) in a heavy-based frypan and then add a tablespoon of the batter. You can cook a few in the pan at the same time. Give them about 3 minutes then flip them over. You want to be seeing that golden-brown crispy frying look. The smell should knock you off your feet with desire.

After another few minutes on the flip side, take them out and drain on paper towels.

Let them cool for about 5 minutes then pop on sliced avocado, sour cream, more cinnamon and sprinkle pine nuts around as you would confetti.

Hint: don't feel compelled to copy me and drink Yorkshire Gold tea with these. You have every authority to open a bottle of pinot noir or even crack a pale ale. Even if it is breakfast time.