When Tina and I did our Be a Tourist at home on Crown Street one of the most delicious finds were the Pea and Feta Fritters at Wilde and Co I found this recipe Pea, Za'atar and Feta Fritters in Simple by Ottolenghi. Mine were not as light and fluffy as the ones we found but I think I needed to make the mix finer and the oil a little hotter... a lovely breakfast or light dinner.
Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl with a quarter-teaspoon of salt, mix well and keep in the fridge until needed.
Put the peas in a food processor, blitz until smooth, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, eggs, lemon zest, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and mix well. Add the za’atar, flour and baking powder, mix until just combined, then gently fold in the feta, so it doesn’t break up.
Pour the oil into a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, use two dessert spoons to scoop up balls of the fritter mixture: they won’t be uniform in shape, but should each be about 4cm wide and 35g. You should be able to fry about six or seven at a time: carefully lower them into the oil and fry for three to four minutes, turning them once, until cooked through and golden-brown. (If the fritters are cooking too quickly, reduce the temperature, so they cook right through to the middle.) Once done, lift the cooked fritters from the hot oil with a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and keep in a low oven. Repeat with the remaining fritters, and serve warm with the sauce (or lemon wedges) alongside.
Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.
500g fresh peas, blanched for a minute and refreshed (or frozen peas, defrosted)
120g ricotta
3 eggs, beaten
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp za’atar
100g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
200g feta, broken into 2cm pieces
800ml sunflower oil, for frying
For the mint and soured cream sauce
300g soured cream
10g mint leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp dried mint
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
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