Tomato and Feta Fritters

tomato & feta fritters by The Culinary ChaseFarmers’ markets, roadside vegetable stands and grocery stores all are overflowing with ripe, juicy tomatoes.  When Summer ends and Fall begins, this is the time of year I most enjoy.

  I am in heaven with the abundance of fresh fruit and veggies.  Consumers might frown or be a bit flippant with regards to the 100-mile diet, but nothing tastes and looks better than produce that is hauled over a short distance.  I have supported buying local long before any locavore awareness campaign began.  It’s one of the reasons I started this blog 7 years ago.

Makes 12 patties
inspired by Kalofagas

2 lbs. ripe cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, skins on
4 scallions, chopped
1 cup self-raising flour
1 baked potato, mashed
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 egg
crumbled Greek feta, to taste
vegetable oil for frying

Preheat oven to 400f.  In a bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic.  Pour onto a lined cookie sheet and roast 15 to 20 minutes or until tomatoes are slightly shriveled. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.  Add roasted tomatoes to a large bowl. Remove skins from garlic and add to the mashed potato. Combine mashed potato with the tomatoes. In a frying pan, sauté the chopped scallions in a tablespoon of olive oil and cook until translucent. Allow to cool and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Add the flour, egg and herbs and black pepper to the tomato mixture and combine. The mixture will be soft and a bit wet.  If needed, add a bit more flour for binding.

fritter ingredients by theculinarychase.comAdd a 1/2  cup of feta and taste the mixture before adding more.  To shallow-fry the fritters, pour vegetable oil into a large, non-stick frying pan until the bottom is covered. Place pan over medium-high heat. Use an ice cream scoop to drop the fritter mixture into the oil and flatten each fritter into the shape of a patty. Fry each fritter for about 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown.  Transfer fritters to a paper towel–lined plate and place in a warm oven until the entire all fritters are cooked.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:  These Greek-style fritters were so good!  Make sure the tomatoes are relatively dry otherwise the mixture will end up being too wet.  Serve these with a dip mixture of Greek yogurt, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper and minced garlic.  Enjoy!

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