PEA & FETA FRITTERS WITH LABNEH
These sweet, salty fritters are an explosion of flavour, so
I like to serve them simply with a few delicate leaves and
some labneh. For those who haven’t heard of it, labneh
is yoghurt that has been drained to form a thick, tangy
and almost cheese-like product. If you can’t find any in
the shops, you can easily make your own: line a sieve
with a clean tea towel or piece of muslin and place it
over a bowl, then spoon in some yoghurt and a pinch
of salt. Let it drain in the fridge overnight then, hey
presto! Homemade labneh.Serves 4
Salt
400g shelled peas (fresh is best but you could use
frozen, too)
2 spring onions, green and white parts finely chopped
3 free-range organic eggs, lightly beaten
100g feta, finely crumbled
1 tablespoon plain flour
2 tablespoons roughly chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Black pepper
Olive oil, for cooking and dressing
2 handfuls of sprouts or microgreens
200g labneh
Lemon wedges, to serve- Fill a medium saucepan with water, add a good
pinch of salt and bring it to the boil over high heat.
Plunge the peas into the boiling water and cook for
3 minutes or until tender, then drain well and place
them in a large mixing bowl. - Roughly mash the peas with a fork (I like to do
mine about halfway between whole and pureed), then
add the spring onion, egg, feta, flour, mint and parsley.
Season with a little salt and pepper and mix gently to
bring it all together. - Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add a
generous splash of olive oil. Plop a heaped tablespoon
of the fritter mixture into the pan, then use the back of
the spoon to flatten it into a 1cm thick disc. Repeat until
the pan is full but not overcrowded (you will probably
need to cook the fritters in a couple of batches). Cook the
fritters for 4 minutes on each side or until golden and
cooked through, then pop them on a tray and cover to
keep warm while you cook the rest. You should have
about 20 fritters in all. - Lightly dress the sprouts or greens with olive oil.
Divide the fritters among serving plates and serve
with the labneh, sprouts or greens and lemon wedges
for squeezing over.
ORGANIC HARVEST
PHOTOS: CHRIS MIDDLETON