Courgette Fritters

Courgette Fritters (gluten free), a delicious vegetable side dish, breakfast or brunch base!

Or an excellent vegetarian cocktail snack.

I am not crazy about courgettes so when the ‘designated shopper’ returned with two packs this week I had to think on my feet. Ah, fritters and an interesting alternative for brunch!

I find that I’m using less wheat flour these days so I always have chick pea flour (chana) in the pantry. There are recipes using wheat flour, but chick pea flour ticks more boxes nutritionally as it has 25% less carbohydrates and is packed with minerals and a good dash of protein too!

I find more and more friends and family opting not to eat gluten, so this makes an ideal party food.

They make a delicious vegetable accompaniment to any meat or poultry dish. For breakfast or brunch you can use this fritter instead of the muffin for Eggs Benedict. Or simply add a poached egg. For a heartier meal add bacon or salmon.

You can either go the Italian route, flavouring them with Italian herbs like oregano and lashings of Parmigiano or the Middle Eastern option that I used.

To tie in with the Middle Eastern flavours I served a creamy yoghurt dressing, flavoured with mint, coriander and lemon zest. Pomegranate seeds added a decadent touch! Use this same dressing as a dipping sauce for the cocktail snack version.

As a breakfast you can brighten the plate with a few lightly fried cherry tomatoes.

This is an easy, foolproof recipe.

The only trick is to remove the excess liquid from the courgettes. Allow the grated and salted courgettes to stand for at least an hour for them to purge some of their liquid. They are then rinsed and the excess water is squeezed out.

They are shallow friend in a neutral vegetable oil. I always use Canola Oil. When spooning the mixture into the oil, start with the 1^st one at 12 o’clock in the pan and place the rest in a clockwise pattern. This is for you to know which one to turn first, ensuring that they all cook evenly.