Holiday nibbles with friends
FOOD The prep for the fritters is quick and easy.
cup finely chopped semi-dried tomatoes
cup freshly grated parmesan 150g block mozzarella, cut into 1.5cm cubes 4 cups breadcrumbs 3 eggs, whisked 5 cups high heat cooking oil Aioli to serve
Heat the olive oil in a big saucepan and add onion, cumin seeds, garlic, oregano, chilli flakes, sea salt and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes over a gentle heat, then add the rice and cook, stirring, for a further two minutes. Add wine and cook for two minutes while heating the stock in a separate saucepan.
Once most of the wine is absorbed, add tomato paste and cup of stock. Keep stirring, adding warm stock as it’s absorbed, ensuring the rice never dries out. After 20 minutes add the olives and tomatoes to the rice with the last of the stock and cook a further 4-5 minutes – the rice should be cooked but not mushy.
Remove from the heat and stir through the grated parmesan. Transfer the risotto to a container and chill until cool.
OK – prepare yourself, this sounds like a real drag, but it’s not too bad! Take tablespoonfuls of cold risotto and poke a cheese cube into the middle. Roll into a ball then roll in breadcrumbs to coat. Do all of them, then starting with the first one again dip into whisked egg and roll in breadcrumbs again.
You should end up with about 40. Store in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight, before cooking.
Heat the cooking oil in a large, deep saucepan until it has a sheen on the surface and a bread cube dropped in will fry to golden in about 20 seconds. Fry the rice balls in batches of 5-6 at a time for 3-4 minutes until golden and heated through. Serve with aioli.
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint cup ricotta cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 100g feta 60g Greek-style natural yoghurt or soft cream cheese 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
cup mint leaves
Whisk the egg in a medium bowl and add the zucchini, zest, chilli flakes, mint and ricotta. Stir to combine, then add the flour and baking powder and fold together. Season well with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture, in batches, for about 11⁄ minutes on each side, until golden. While they’re cooking, whiz the feta and yoghurt in a small food processor to create a soft spread. Drain the fritters on paper towels and serve immediately topped with feta spread, sliced tomatoes and mint. Recipes, food styling and photography by Sarah Tuck.