Saturday, July 12, 2008

Herbed Ricotta Fritters

When you have a couple of egg yolks staring at you, 1/2 kilo of ricotta in the fridge that you're undecided what to do with, want to make something really quick and easy, dying to sit and relax with drink in hand, then these little fritter-balls are the perfect solution to your woes.

Two cups of chopped herbs are folded through the ricotta/egg/flour mixture and shallow fried in minutes. The combination of herbs is entirely up to you. As we are in the depths of a freezing winter, with snow on the mountains and frosts on the ground, I'm still lucky enough to have the old reliables flourishing in the garden - rosemary, parsley and oregano.

Initially, I thought that these might be a bit bland and overpowered by the herbs, but after one bite my fears were put to rest. They would make a wonderful addition to any party platter, but I would double the recipe 'cause they're just so tasty.

Herbed ricotta fritters

Ingredients

  • 500g fresh ricotta cheese
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup self-raising flour, sifted
  • 2 cups mixed fresh herbs, chopped (we used flat-leaf parsley, oregano and rosemary leaves)
  • 150g parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 2 cups vegetable oil, for shallow-frying

Method

  1. Place ricotta in a sieve over a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow excess moisture to drain from ricotta. Drain, wash and dry bowl. Spoon ricotta into the bowl. Add egg yolks. Mix until well combined. Add flour, herbs and 1 1/2 cups parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
  2. Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Using 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture per fritter, cook fritters in batches of 4, turning often with a metal spoon, for 3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack over a baking tray. Keep warm in oven while cooking the remaining fritters.
  3. Place fritters on a plate. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Simona, from Briciole, is hosting this months Weekend Herb Blogging event, the brainstorm of Kalyn, from Kalyn's Kitchen. There are some new rules being introduced for next weekend, rules for the better, in my honest opinion, so that this event remains primarily about herbs, so check them out here.


12 comments:

Kalyn Denny said...

Those looks so delicious. I didn't even realize ricotta could be fried like this, but it makes sense. Love the combination of herbs you used.

Peter M said...

I see these pop-up every now & then and I'm tempted to try them out myself...looks delicious.

Pam said...

Thanks Kalyn, they are delicious. I can't wait to try them with some summer herbs too.

Pam said...

Hi Peter, give them a go, you won't be disappointed. A great appetiser to have with drinks while you're grilling.

Simona Carini said...

I love the expression "a couple of egg yolks staring at you"! This is certainly a delicious way of using them.

Nic said...

Great little appetizers Pam. Love the first photo!

Aggie said...

These look delicious! My family used to make a sweeter version of these...can't remember what they called them, it will come to me later I guess!

Anonymous said...

Oh Pam! It seems an eternity since my last post! These Fritters look divine. As you said, they would go down well with a few beverages! I am a fan of the good old fashioned green tin (VB) myself. How about you? Is there a drink of choice with these fritters? I love finding out about your cullinary skills, it really takes me away from my work and i find it so interesting. I wonder how these fritters would go down with some spices? eg. A touch of curry powder perhaps, maybe some paprika? I'll try it out and get back to you on that one. I must say, i do enjoy a bit of spice in my life.

Till next time Pam.

Pam said...

Simona, the egg yolks followed me like a creepy painting. I had to do something with them. Congrats on a great roundup...all delicious as usual.

Pam said...

Hey Nic, my photographic skills are non-existent, but I'm glad you liked the pic. I couldn't care less about the main meal, as long as the appetizers are up to scratch.

Pam said...

Hi non-anonymous Bunny, I'm so glad I can take you away from the mundane issues we all have to face every day.....called work. Suck it in and get on with it, I say. Yes, I too love a bevo with my appetizers, and I too (like yourself), am particularly fond of the green variety..eat your greens as Granny always said. Paprika sounds wonderful, but I'm yearning for sweet basil, and in these horrible wintery days we are enduring at present, a touch of sun ripened juicy tomatoes is what I yearn. When, child, will you learn to savour the flavour of these love apples?

Anonymous said...

whoa, these look amazing. i want one now! i'm totally making these for the next dinner party! beautiful blog, by the way! that header picture is ridiculous and makes me hungry.