Leftover Love: Ottolenghi's Cauliflower Cumin Fritters


I make a lot of fritters with leftovers, just seems like the right thing to do.

Every leftover veggie can be chopped and mixed w/ spices, herbs and eggs to create delicious pancakes, served with a fried egg on top for breakfast, as a first course made into little fritters, or along side fish for dinner.

I've done it with quinoa, broccoli, cheeses, you name it.

Think potato latke, only without the potato.

Here is another delicious recipe from one of my very favorite cookbooks Ottolenghi. These were originally made by Sami's Middle Eastern mother, and it is her recipe.

They are the best damn fritters we have tried so far. I think it's the cinnamon that sets them apart from other vegetable fritters I have made.

The original recipe wants you to boil the cauliflower, but since I always seem to have leftover roasted cauli, I used that.

Lime Yogurt Cilantro Sauce:

1 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt (I used lowfat, no big deal)
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt & pepper

Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Can be made an hour ahead.

Cauliflower Fritters: (adapted from Ottolenghi)

1 small cauliflower, about 3/4 pound, cut into little florets
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, plus whole leaves for garnish
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 large eggs, preferably organic (I used 3 extra large eggs)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
hot pepper flakes (optional, but I add them for a brighter taste)

Cook the cauliflower how you normally would. Roast it 30 minutes at 400F w/ olive oil and kosher salt, or boil it for 15 minutes (lots of bad memories about boiled cauliflower....thanks mom).


Mash it with a potato masher and add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix together.

Heat a big frying pan with vegetable, sunflower or coconut oil (about 2/3 inch of oil).

Fry the fritters in batches. You can make them as big or as small as you like.

About a minute and 30 seconds on each side.

Blot on paper towels and serve w/ the delicious lime yogurt dipping sauce.


These freeze well too........just take them out and thaw an hour before putting in the toaster oven to reheat.

A delicious bite!


Comments

Natalia said…
I have become quite fond of Ottolenghi's cookbook, ever since you started talking about his book.

Regarding cauliflower - I have finally gotten my family to enjoy this vegetable using different cool recipes. This one is a must try also.
Anonymous said…
I'm all about the cauliflower now. Did you see Heidi Swanson's latest 'cauliflower rice' type post? Wonderful. Thanks Ms. Snacks - I took a tip from you and used my box grater to nicely rice my little albino trees. Worked great! This Ottolenghi recipe looks scrummy - oohhh cinnamon. Loving limes now - they add that floral note absent in the more assertive lemon. I use lime juice/zest in all my last minute raita/tzatiki yogurt dips. OK, here's your challenge: name one thing (there must be one!), ONE thing yo'mama cooked really good when you were growing up.
Stacey Snacks said…
Anon,

I appreciate that you always stick up for my mother's cooking, but she was a really lousy cook.....didn't and still doesn't care about food. No butter, no salt, no flavor, though she did cook only natural things.

She made a delicious spinach pie in an Orenoeke Orchards pie crust....it's on my blog, it had a block of unsalted Swiss cheese and frozen spinach mixed w/ milk, eggs and Durkee fried onions! We loved it!
She also baked a GREAT loaf of mandel bread....and never used a measuring cup......just a water glass.

There you are.
Anonymous said…
Stacey - huge fan of your blog!

Quick question regarding the use of eggs; my mom is vegetarian and avoids all animal products, but I would love to make these for her on Thanksgiving. Any suggestions for egg substitutes that would keep the fritter together when cooking them?

Thank you again for all the fabulous recipes; I never fail to be inspired to cook after reading your posts!
Stacey Snacks said…
Anon,

Sounds like she is a vegan, not a vegetarian? I am hoping some of my readers can help you with egg substitutes. You sort of need eggs to bind fritters, but I am sure there is something out there! Let me look into it for you.............sorry I am not much help.

Stacey
Oui Chef said…
Thanks for turning me on to yet another FAB Ottolenghi dish!
Anonymous said…
Ms. Snacks - It's so difficult to believe, despite the fact that truly, I DO believe, that the woman who gave birth to you was a lousy cook and didn't care about food! How did that happen, going from one extreme to the other? Fascinating to me. You remember the brand name of the pie crust - so cute. And Durkee fried onions - 'tis the season for that fried, fragmented, vacuum-canned condiment!
domenicacooks said…
Hi Stacey, after seeing this post I couldn't wait to make these for dinner. I bought a head of cauliflower at the farmers' market this morning so the timing was perfect. I fried the fritters in sunflower oil flavored with shallots (my daughter fried a bunch of shallots for a Thai noodle dish she made last night for dinner and so we reserved the oil). Cheers, Domenica
Lisa Faley said…
Hi Stacey, I was vegan for a year (but was kidding myself) lol! i did however come up with some decent subsstitutes for eggs and cheese believe it or not!
here are some egg substitutes.....

you can substitute any of the following (equals one egg):
(my preference is the ground flax seed it does change the colour, but not the flavour or consistency)

2 tbsp ground salba + ½ cup water mixed together
2 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water
½ banana, blended or mashed
¼ cup tofu
3 tbsp applesauce
1 tbsp psyllium husks + 2 tbsp water

Good luck!