Aegean, is a new recipe book by Marianna Leivaditaki, the head chef at London's Morito, Hackney Road. Published in July, the book is a paean to the flavours of the Mediterranean, bringing together recipes inspired by growing up on the Greek island of Crete. Following our TOAST Portraits, Marianna shared this summer recipe for Courgette and Feta Fritters as part of our Time to Make series.
In the summer months in our restaurant, we used to grate about 10kg (24lb) of courgettes every evening for these, Marianna tells us. It was incredible how many of them would be ordered. We used just feta in the original recipe but the addition of some hard cheese only makes them better. They are a perfect snack after a long day on the beach...
INGREDIENTS, to serve four to six as a sharing plate
4 large courgettes
1 large red onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 handful of fresh dill, chopped
100g (31/2oz) feta, crumbled
100g (31/2oz) strong hard cheese, such as Manchego, Pecorino or Parmesan, coarsely grated
4 tbsp plain flour (possibly a bit more), plus extra for dusting
2 organic eggs
1 tsp dried oregano
200ml (7fl oz) vegetable oil, for frying
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
METHOD
Grate the courgettes using the coarse side of a box grater, then salt them and let them drain for 10 minutes.
Fry the red onion gently in the olive oil until translucent.
Squeeze the courgettes to get rid of excess water and place in a bowl with the onion.
Add the mint and dill, feta and hard cheese.
Add the flour and eggs and mix everything together. Season with oregano, salt and pepper.
The mix will be quite loose but manageable enough to create the fritters. Check for seasoning.
Heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Check by dropping in a bit of the mixture it should bubble instantly.
Take a large tablespoon of the mix, roll in the flour and fry in the hot oil until golden. Repeat until all the mix is used up.
Aegean by Marianna Leivaditaki is published by Kyle Books.
Photography by Elena Heatherwick
We hope you enjoy this little recipe guide. If you do make a dish, please share it on Instagram using the #TOASTtimetomake. We would love to see.
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