Name: Pea, zucchini and mint fritters with eggs and feta sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 500 gm frozen peas; 1 zucchini, coarsely grated, plus 1 extra, thinly sliced crossways on a mandolin; 15 eggs, at room temperature; 175 gm thick plain yoghurt; 2 tbsp milk; 100 gm finely grated Greek feta; ½ cup coarsely chopped mint, plus ½ cup extra leaves, to serve; 2 spring onions, thinly sliced; 120 gm self-raising flour; ¾ tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra wedges, to serve; Olive oil, for shallow-frying; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; ¾ cup (loosely packed) pea tendrils; 6 zucchini flowers, trimmed and halved lengthways; Feta sauce; 200 gm Greek feta, coarsely crumbled; 80 ml milk (1/3 cup); 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil (1/2 cup); Juice of 1 lemon; ½ garlic clove, finely chopped

Pea, zucchini and mint fritters with eggs and feta sauce

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for pea, zucchini and mint fritters with eggs and feta sauce

Serves 6

Prep

30M

Cook

20M

Total

50M

We love poached eggs, but they can be high maintenance if you’re feeding more than a couple of people. This is where soft-boiled eggs come into the picture – cooking a dozen or more is a no-fuss proposition, and if you can’t be bothered peeling them en masse, just break them in half and scoop them from their shells with a spoon instead.

Ingredients

500 gm frozen peas

1 zucchini, coarsely grated, plus 1 extra, thinly sliced crossways on a mandolin

15 eggs, at room temperature

175 gm thick plain yoghurt

2 tbsp milk

100 gm finely grated Greek feta

½ cup coarsely chopped mint, plus ½ cup extra leaves, to serve

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

120 gm self-raising flour

¾ tsp baking powder

2 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra wedges, to serve

Olive oil, for shallow-frying

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup (loosely packed) pea tendrils

6 zucchini flowers, trimmed and halved lengthways

Feta sauce

200 gm Greek feta, coarsely crumbled

80 ml milk (1/3 cup)

60 ml extra-virgin olive oil (1/2 cup)

Juice of 1 lemon

½ garlic clove, finely chopped

Method

Main

1.For feta sauce, process ingredients in a small food processor until smooth. Season to taste and refrigerate until required.

2.Blanch peas in a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender and bright green (2-3 minutes; see cook’s notes p184). Drain, reserve 100gm peas to serve, pulse remainder in a food processor to a rough purée (leave some whole for extra texture). Transfer to a bowl and stir in grated zucchini, 3 of the eggs, yoghurt, milk, feta, mint and spring onion. Stir in flour and baking powder, add half the lemon juice and season to taste.

3.Preheat oven to 120C. Heat about 1cm olive oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add ½-cupfuls of batter and shallow-fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown (2-3 minutes). Drain on paper towels and place in a single layer on a baking tray in oven to keep warm.

4.Meanwhile, cook remaining 12 eggs in a large saucepan of boiling water until cooked to your liking (7 minutes for soft yolks). Drain, then, when cool enough to handle, peel.

5.Combine extra-virgin olive oil, pea tendrils, extra mint, sliced zucchini, zucchini flowers, reserved peas and remaining lemon juice in a bowl. Season to taste and toss to combine. Serve pea, zucchini and mint fritters with eggs and feta sauce, and scatter with pea tendril salad.