Leek Fritters with Herbs & Feta
INGREDIENTS
4 cups leeks | washed + thinly sliced
3 cups carrots | grated
8-10 cloves SHF pickled garlic or fresh if you prefer
2 tsp dill or thyme
1 handful fresh parsley | chopped
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
6 eggs | beaten
5 oz feta cheese | crumbled
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
Organic safflower oil | as needed
Lemon slices to twist & serve
Notes from the kitchen
Safflower oil is my go-to oil for all frying. It is safe to use when cooking at high temperatures. It contains healthful fats called unsaturated fatty acids. When consumed in moderation, it may offer health benefits, such as blood sugar control, better heart health, and lower levels of inflammation. We also use it often in our skincare lines. It is a wonderful topical to treat dry skin.
I made this recipe twice, once with mushrooms and once with carrots. They both were delicious. I did amp up the spices the 2nd time around, and thought it was an improvement from the first batch. However, Russell was not going to work without the first batch for lunch, so I am thinking they both were worthy of inclusion because it has to be impressive if Russell was eating leftovers! Neither of us usually love leftovers, but we both ate these until they were gone.
It is best to re-wash your sliced leeks when you have finished cutting. Leeks tend to house lots of soil between the layers. I just slice then put the slices in a bowl and rinse and drain with a sieve. Then, let them drain for a while or dry on a paper towel before proceeding with recipe.
I recommend adding the flour 1 cup at a time and make sure to incorporate well before adding more. I noticed with both batches the amount of flour needed varied. The goal is to get the batter to hold together enough to pick up and drop into oil. It is not as firm as biscuits. It was definitely loose and would fall out of your hand didn’t move quickly.
METHOD
Slice leeks and measure out 4 cups into a large bowl. Rinse with water and drain well or dry with a paper towel.
Sprinkle leeks with 1-2 tsp salt and mix with your hands to help soften the leeks.
Grate carrots. Let drain onto a paper towel.
Squeeze out any excess moisture.
Combine leeks and carrots (or mushrooms) and add herbs.
Crack eggs and beat well.
Add eggs to mix.
Add flour to mix one cup at a time.
Heat enough oil in frying pan to shallow fry the fritters.
Using a large spoon, drop the batter into the hot oil a spoonful at a time, taking care to not let the fritters touch each other.
Fry over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or golden brown, flip and repeat.
For the first batch we used our left-over Rémoulade sauce but added roasted red peppers to it before we topped the fritters. For the 2nd batch we just used a twist of lemon. They were both lovely!
