Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Wild Rice and Parsnip Fritters

150 g (5 ounces) cooked wehani rice  (about 100 g (3 ½ ounces) raw rice)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1 teaspoon fennel seeds                                                           
120 g (4 ounces) parsnip, grated (about 1 fat one) 
3 eggs                                                                             
50 mls milk  (almost 1/4 cup)                                                                 
50 mls yogurt     (almost 1/4 cup)
100 g (3 ½ ounces) flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried dill                                                                               
1 teasoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley, fresh dill, or fennel
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cook rice in rice cooker.  (Alternately, add water in a 2:1 ratio to rice (a bit less than a cup of water, or 200 mls, to 100 g rice) in a heavy saucepan.   Bring them to a boil together then simmer, covered, for 50-60 minutes at a very low heat.  Ideally, all the water will be gone and the rice will be perfectly cooked.)

Cook the onion, garlic, and fennel seeds in a little oil for a few minutes, then add the grated parsnip and continue cooking for a few minutes more, but don’t allow the parsnip to cook more than a little. 

Whisk the eggs, milk, and yogurt together, then whisk these into the flour with the nutmeg, dill, and mustard, to get a thick batter.  Stir in the cooked vegetables and the cooked wild rice.  Season well with salt and pepper, and add chopped parsley, dill, or fennel as desired. 

Add the baking powder just before beginning to fry the fritters.

In a wide frying pan, heat oil to a low, steady temperature, then drop in tablespoons of the batter – as many as the pan will take, as they won’t spread.  Cook for a few minutes, then flip each one over to cook the other side. You may need to flip them a few times, until they are lightly browned and firm to the touch.  They should take about 8 minutes to cook through.  Keep the cooked fritters warm in the oven will frying the remainder.  

Serves 4.

From The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook by Denis Cotter

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