It's half term this week, which means I get a week off teaching. In other words, a week spent lazing around! In pyjamas! Watching movies! Listening to 90s boy bands (no, just me?)! Cooking lots of unhealthy food! Okay, perhaps these broccoli and feta fritters aren't the most unhealthy thing ever, but they are fried, which isn't something I usually do. Most fried foods are just as good baked (for example my avocado poppers are baked and they're awesome), but sometimes you just have to go for it and get your frying pan out. Actually, as long as you drain them on some kitchen paper after frying, they're not at all greasy, and once you taste them, any remnants of fry-guilt (yes, that's a thing) will disappear entirely.
As I said, some things are great baked, but when things are fried, the heat is really intense on the outside, but not so much inside - so you end up with a crispy, chewy exterior and a soft, creamy centre. It's just perfect for these fritters. Plus there's just something strangely comforting about eating something that's been fried (um, I seem to say that an awful lot of food is 'strangely comforting'... I think I have a problem).
I love how the flavours of both the broccoli and the feta shine through in this recipe - sometimes I find that the flavour of feta, especially, is lost when it's cooked, but I guess because they're cooked so quickly, it doesn't have a chance to disappear. It adds the perfect salty creaminess to the middle of these broccoli fritters (by the way, I'd appreciate some applause for finally having learned how to spell 'broccoli'. It used to be one of those words that I would have to google every time to see if it was 'broccoli' or 'brocolli'. Literally every time. I'm a slow learner).
Anyway I had better return to my movies. It's pretty sad, but I've actually run out of rom-coms to watch on Netflix. Literally, I've watched them all - some multiple times. I even resorted to watching Hope Springs the other day, which is actually the second film I've watched about Meryl Streep's sex life (It's Complicated was the first) and, embarrassingly, the second that I've enjoyed. I have no shame.
- 110g broccoli
- 2 medium eggs
- 70g plain flour
- 70g feta, crumbled
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 4tbsp oil for frying
- Fresh lemon, to serve
- Cut the broccoli up a little, and steam for 5-10 minutes until fairly tender.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl and mix in the flour, crumbled feta, minced garlic and chopped parsley, and season well.
- When the broccoli is cooked, chop it pretty finely and add it to the rest of the fritter batter. Mix well.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan until it's at the point that it sizzles when you add a small drop of batter. Spoon the batter into four fritter shapes, pressing the mixture down a little so they don't end up too thick. Cook for a few minutes until the underside is golden brown (you shouldn't need to poke them around too much, just once or twice to check they're not sticking). Flip them over and cook the other side in the same way, until golden brown.
- Place the fritters on a few sheets of kitchen paper to drain any excess oil before serving with a small squeeze of lemon juice, if desired.
Lescaster says
Full disclaimer I am not a vegetarian, but I still love vegetables! I had a lot of broccoli and a lot of feta and looked for recipes and yours came up. It’s delicious, I made it exactly as written. Fun recipe that you could tweak with different flavors and different cheeses. Absolutely delicious as it is. Thank you.
Becca Heyes says
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed them!
Urvashi says
These look so easy and so delicious. I'ma huge fan of broccoli and always have some in the house. Same with feta really but had never thought to combine the two like this. Thanks for sharing