Thursday, July 30, 2015

CSA Week 9 - July 28th - leek fritters


These fritters are delicious and have an amazing texture. I made them with CSA Week 8 and Week 9 leeks (four leeks). I don't think they would be worth making with only two leeks. 










Leek Fritters
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Recipe copied from here.

Ingredients (fritters)
2 pounds leeks (about 3-4 large ones)
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more for the pot
2 scallions, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Black pepper
Ground or FINELY minced cayenne pepper (optional)
1 egg
Cooking oil

Ingredients (garlic lemon cream)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Few gratings of lemon zest
Pinches of salt
1 small garlic clove, minced. 

Directions

1. Trim the leeks, leaving only the white and pale-green parts. Halve them lengthwise, and if they look gritty or dirty, plunge them into cold water and fan the layers to remove and dirt or grit. Once they are clean, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips.


2.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the leeks for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are softened but not limp. Drain, and wring them out in a clean dish towel to remove as much liquid as possible. 
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and cayenne.
4.  Transfer the leeks to a mixing bowl and add scallions.  Add the flour mixture to the leeks and toss to coat.  Add the egg and stir until it is incorporated with the mixture.
6.  Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 250 F.
7.  In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. oil over medium heat until it begins to shimmer.  Scoop heaping tablespoons of the batter into the skillet. Using a spatula, gently flatten the fritters. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until one side is golden brown. Flip fritters and cook until the other side is golden. Drain on paper towels and transfer to oven.
8. Repeat with remaining batter.
9. While they are in the oven, make the cream by whisking together all the ingredients and seasoning with a little salt.
10. Allow fritters to stay in the oven for about 10 minutes to make sure they are cooked. 
11. Serve fritters immediately and top with a dollop of cream and a little additional lemon zest.

Notes


This made 5 medium-sized (2 1/2-inch diameter x maybe 1 cm. thick) fritters for me. The proportions of batter to leek was appropriate, but the amount of leek will vary depending on how heavily you need to trim yours. I will try to get a leek measurement post-trimming next time I make this. Update 9/21: I have made this with varying amount of leeks leaving the other batter ingredient amounts constant. They have been great every time. 


Deb suggests serving these with a fried egg on top (you'd want to make a few large ones) if you want to turn them into a meal.

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