Sweetcorn Fritters with Roast Tomatoes, Bacon & Avocado Salsa

Tex-Mex was huge around the time we opened Bills cafe. Tinned chipotles were flavour of the month and Navajo blankets were being dragged down every fashionable catwalk... These sweetcorn fritters were my nod to that, but they outlived the phase.

ROAST TOMATOES

4 ripe Roma tomatoes 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

AVOCADO SALSA

1 large avocado, diced

1½ tomatoes, deseeded and diced 2 tablespoons chopped coriander 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion or

red onion

1 dash Tabasco sauce, optional 125g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten 100ml milk

2 corn cobs

½ capsicum, diced 2 spring onions, sliced 1 large handful mixed chopped coriander and

parsley

4 tablespoons light-flavoured oil, for frying

TO SERVE

Baby spinach or rocket 4 grilled bacon rashers Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Roast tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the tomatoes on a baking tray, cut side up, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes.

Avocado salsa: Gently toss together all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Sweetcorn fritters: Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and paprika into a large bowl, stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre.

Mix together the eggs and milk and pour slowly into the well in the dry ingredients, whisking to a smooth, lump-free batter. The batter will be quite stiff.

Slice the kernels off the corn cobs and place the corn, capsicum, spring onions and herbs in a mixing bowl. Add just enough batter to lightly bind them. (Any leftover batter can be kept in the fridge for 3 days; do not mix with the corn until you are ready to cook.)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and drop in 2 tablespoons of batter per fritter, cooking 4 fritters at a time. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the undersides are golden. Turn and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while cooking the rest.

Serve the fritters with roast tomatoes, avocado salsa, a little spinach or rocket and a rasher of bacon. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil if you like. Serves 4