This week's CSA share brings us some more of Harlequinn's delicious carrots and beets. A few of you mentioned that you aren't huge beet fans, so I thought I'd post a recipe to help change that opinion. Even if you are a beet lover, this recipe is a nice change from classic beet dishes.
Fritters or something I rarely make, or rarely even think about. It's all very silly because fritters are delicious, filling, and fairly easy to prepare. And if you need a dish that children will also like, fritters seem to appeal to all ages.
These beet and carrot fritters have an earthy, sweet taste that is unlike your average zucchini fritter. Because they are mellow in flavor, the lemony yogurt adds a nice brightness.
The batter will be very wet and chunky. It will seem unlikely that the fritters will hold together when flipped. However, because they are cooked for a long time at a medium heat, they form a thick crust and actually hold together very well. The trick is to wait the full 4 minutes and to firmly and quickly flip each fritter.
adapted from Epicurious
makes about 8 fritters
If you have a food processor with a grater attachment, then I recommend using it for this recipe. It'll be quicker and less messy.
1 c shredded carrots, about 3 medium peeled carrots
1 c diced yellow onion, about 1 medium onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
fresh black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 c white flour
2 - 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
finely chopped green onion (optional garnish)
In a medium-sized bowl, fold together the shredded beets and carrots, onion, and garlic until well mixed. Stir in the salt and plenty of black pepper. Fold in the egg until well combined. Gently stir in the flour.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat a cast iron pan or other frying pan on medium heat. If using a smaller pan (8 or so inches), add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. If using a larger pan (10 inches or so), add about 2 tablespoons of oil. There should be a thin layer of oil that easily and completely coats the pan. Heat oil until shimmering or until it is difficult to hold your hand an inch above the pan for more than a few seconds.
Depending on the pan size, add 2 to 4 large dollops (about a heaping 1/4 cup each) of batter to the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Set a timer for 4 minutes. Gently press each dollop of batter with a spatula to flatten. After 4 minutes, quickly and firmly flip each fritter and cook on the other side for another 4 minutes. Drain fritters on a plate with a paper towel and set in oven to keep warm. Add more oil to the pan as needed. Repeat until all batter is cooked. The pan will get hotter throughout the cooking process, so shorten the time to about 3 minutes as you cook more batches.
Serve hot with lemony yogurt (below) and freshly chopped green onion.
Note: Fritters reheat fairly well in a pan with a little bit of oil.
Lemony Yogurt
This recipe is great with fritters, but it's also a great dip for kabobs.
3/4 c plain yogurt, preferably greek (whole, nonfat, or a combination)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint or cilantro
Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Depending on the sourness of the yogurt, adjust seasoning and lemon juice amounts.
WOW! you are hard at work on the blog these days, Autumn! these last few posts look amazing! and it's great to see a little cameo from that familiar old spatula. that stir fry from last week is, obviously, to die for.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brad!
ReplyDeletedo you have to cook the beets (boil them first)?
ReplyDeleteNope! You can shred the beets when they are still raw.
Deletethank you!
ReplyDelete