Kale and Feta Buttermilk Fritters

Fritters recipes usually get a lot of clicks on the blog. What does that say about us I wonder. We seem to like fried food. These little fritters are very easy to make and I only brush the pan with oil so they don’t stick. They are not fried in oil like you would normally expect fritters to be. You can serve them with sour cream, lemon butter, salsa or other toppings. They fit into any meal really, served with a little salad on the side and a glass of crisp white wine. They make a nice vegetarian “entree”.

You can make these small, silver dollar size fritters if you wish and then they are good as one bite appies. I made them dinner size this time. With cooking so much for the blog I find that I don’t always have “dinner foods” around. If I am making truffles, then that’s all I am making that day. Having a few things like these fritters on hand makes it easy to put together a dinner without too much fuss. They keep in the fridge for a couple of days and can be reheated nicely in the microwave or oven. A few roasted carrots and a salad and dinner is ready.

I have added a little dried herbs to these fritters. Because of the feta I chose oregano that is often associated with Greek flavours. I have been drying herbs from the garden this year. The herbs were doing so well and I had such a profusion of them that I just didn’t feel like it was right letting them go without preserving some of them. My Italian neighbour Marisa (how fun to have an Italian neighbour) and I tied them in small bunches with kitchen twine and hung them out to dry on a wooden divider that we have standing idle on the corner of the dining room. I enjoyed the herbal aromas I’d catch now and then while they were drying. They dried pretty fast in our cold and dry climate and I crunched them and piled in little herb containers to use over the winter. Although I prefer fresh herbs when possible, it’s fun having your own dried herbs as well. I am posting a few images, and there is even bay leaves, how fun is that.

Other than that I am steeped in culinary dreams. With our upcoming trip to Europe I am starting to think about the foods we will try, the markets we’ll go to and the kitchen shops I will visit. I am surprised how calm I am about such a big trip, i usually get much more excited.  My plan is to blog from there about our experience in Paris and Spain. Christmas in Paris, it may be cold in Paris in Christmas, but Paris is always a good idea.

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Ingredients:

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1 bunch kale (about 5 oz), trimmed of hard stem

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

A couple of tablespoon fresh herbs (oregano, thyme) or 1 teaspoon dried herbs

1 egg

4 tablespoon vegetable oil (olive, corn, peanut)

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup chopped chives

1 egg white, lightly beaten

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Directions:

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Remove tougher stem from kale, chop the leaves and tender stem.

Bring a cup of water to a boil in a skillet, add the chopped kale, cover and cook until kale is wilted and cooked. Don’t cook it for too long to preserve the green colour.

Remove and let cool, then chop the kale into small ribbon.

With your hands squeeze out as much of the water as you can out. Set aside.

Place flour, baking powder, baking soda and slat in a bowl.

In another bowl combine the egg, buttermilk, feta and chives and whisk together.

Add the milk mixture to the flour and blend with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula until just mixed.

Add the chives and mix.

Beat the additional egg whites until light peaks form and gently fold this into the flour mixture to lighten it up.

Brush a flat bottom griddle with a little vegetable oil and heat the pan.

With an ice cream scoop, scoop small mounds of the batter onto the hot pan and cook until the underside is golden.

Turn over and cook the other side.

When both sides are golden remove from heat and set on paper towels to drain.

Continue with remaining batter until all the fritters are cooked.

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Suggested toppings:

• Sour cream mixed with whipping cream, a squeeze of lemon and chopped chives.
• Soft 1/2 cup butter mixed with juice of 1/2 lemon, cilantro and chopped shallot.
• Fresh tomato salsa.

 

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