When you think cauliflower, I bet you don’t immediately get creative.
I bet you think about steaming it, perhaps adding some spices, and probably serving it as a side dish to something that’s a little more special. Maybe you mash it and serve it as a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes (that would be frowed upon in my household, I’ll let you guess by whom).
But I’m here to show you (with the help of Smitten Kitchen, unsurprisingly) that cauliflower can be exciting. In fact, when made into fritters, it can be the main course. And you won’t feel like something is missing, I promise.
Or, you can make these cauliflower and feta fritters a little smaller and serve them as appetizers. Either way, the combination or creamy feta with cauliflower held together with just a tiny bit of flour and egg is a really tasty treat, and a perfect way to eat your vegetables.
- 1 small head cauliflower, stems trimmed and florets cut into 1 inch chunks (about ¾ lb total)
- 1 egg
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- pinch of lemon zest
- 4 ounces feta, crumbled
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- olive oil for frying
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to boil. Add cauliflower florets and cook until they're firm but tender, about 10 minutes. Strain and dry as much as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg, garlic, and lemon zest. Once cauliflower has cooled slighlty, add to bowl and mash together with egg mixture using a potato masher or similar tool. Cauliflower should be in small pea-size pieces although it's okay if you have a couple bigger chunks.
- Add feta, flour, crushed red pepper, salt, and baking powder and mix well until fully combined. Mixture should stick together nicely so it can be formed into patties.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Once hot, scoop about ¼ cup of mixture and form into patty. Add to pan and flatten with spatula. Fit as many fritters as you can on your pan. Cook on each side until nicely crisped, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining fritters.
- Lastly, make the yogurt sauce. Mix together yogurt, cumin, salt and pepper. Serve fritters with a dollop of sauce on top.
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
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writes Highs and Lows | Dancing VeggiesCan I bake these instead of frying?
writes BesaHi Besa! I haven’t tried baking them, but I think it would work. The fritters may be a little looser since the frying builds up a nice sear on both sides and helps hold them together, but I think they would still be delicious if you baked them! If you do try it, let me know how it turns out.
writes VickyThese look delicious! We’re making them tomorrow night! :)
writes Shannon SchreiberJust as delicious as they looked!
writes Shannon SchreiberYES! That’s what I want to hear. So glad you guys liked them :)
writes Vicky