Ahhh, Ottolenghi recipes. Even the ones in Simple always have a moment where I go ??? or at least tut slightly at the definition of simple. On the one hand, this is definitely just scrambled eggs/omelette/eggs n veg. On the other, I bought three packets of herbs specially for it ("you can just use up leftovers in this", says Sir Yotam but I don't have that much random basil on hand, ever). And I finally used the barberries I bought last year. Which is not my definition of simple.
I love barberries, but they are lodged in my brain as the most obscure of ingredients since they were the only item my Iranian former flatmate and I couldn't work out the English for when she was cooking her own family dishes. We swapped a *lot* of recipes, but we only worked out the barberries years after.
But all that said, this one is very good. Easier to wash up than scrambled eggs. Much more successful to present than omelette. Iranian herb fritters, you're okay by me.
For 4 fritters, making enough for 2 people with salad or 4 people using it as a pita filling, you need:
4 eggs
60g of mixed herbs, chopped (basil, coriander, dill in my case)
25g barberries
15g chopped walnuts
1tsp ground cumin50g breadcrumbs
Seasoning
Chop, mix, heat. Couldn't be simpler. In theory you can keep the batter for 24 hours, which I did, but the breadcrumbs drink the egg a bit so I'd probably make it fresh daily next time. It's not much of a faff.
A proper 'Oh Yotam' moment for me though was his instruction to cook 4 at once if you have a big enough pan, while recommending your fritters are about 12cm across. Anyone have a frying pan that big, and a burner to cope? Ahahaha not me. But never mind.
Medium heat, 1-2 mins each side. Only add the mix when the oil is hot or the fritters will just drink it down.
Easy and quick, great with tomato salad. I reckon you could substitute all kinds of things - definitely parsley or spinach as leaves, definitely other nuts if you need. You can probably manage without barberries if you really need (what? NO BARBERRIES in your stash?), though I'd suggest chucking in a few currants and a squeeze of lemon if so.
This blog is very educational. I now know what barberries are.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to pass on one of the more transferrable things I learned during my PhD student years. (They are *all right*, and evidently proper Persian stuff, but there are lots of things that would do the job of slightly chewy/slightly sour.)
DeleteI'm still puzzled about barberries. I've never listened about and I don't know the Italian word for them. I've never seen in supermarket, I must hunt up barberries in markets or spice shops.
ReplyDeleteI think without that one flatmate I wouldn't know barberries either. We cooked in company a lot, and I told her about more traditional English cooking from my books, so I wanted to know about hers! They are quite fun, but dried cranberries chopped small, or currants and lemon would substitute.
DeleteI've often looked at this recipe in 'Simple', but never got around to actually trying it. You may have inspired me to actually do it instead of just thinking about it!
ReplyDeleteIt's really good. Not revolutionary, perhaps, but worth it for a spin on eggs-and-vegetables.
DeleteThis also looks delicious. Right, I'm going to have a 'Melinda' day this week where I make egg fritters, halloumi salad and a lovely vegetable galette. The family can just fend for themselves, given that there is no combination of them that will eat eggs, salad or veg (slight lockdown hysteria emerging here.)
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I did laugh at this one. You're making me appreciate the solo lockdown more with every comment.
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