Tomato fritters (Ντοματοκεφτέδες)
A Greek meze using all the delicious flavours of summer.
Servings: 15 fritters
Ingredients
- 2 cups seeded and diced plum tomatoes about 4 - 5 tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cups grated zucchini about 1 medium zucchini
- 1/4 cup diced onion about 1/2 a medium onion
- 1 green onion, diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 4 - 5 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp dry mint or 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp plain bread crumbs
- olive oil for frying
- plain Greek yogourt or tzatziki for serving optional
Instructions
- Ensure that your diced tomatoes are as "dry" as possible; meaning, you should remove all the seeds, and the pulp that they are found in. If your tomatoes still appear to have a lot of liquid, drain them in a fine sieve.
- Use your hands or a cheesecloth to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from your grated zucchini.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the tomatoes, zucchini, onions (both the yellow onion and the green onion), tomato paste, parsley, basil, mint, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
- In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and breadcrumbs. Use a fork or whisk to combine well.
- Add the flour mixture to the vegetable and herb mix and stir well to combine. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes.
- After your mixture has sat for approximately 10 minutes give it another stir. It should hold together when you scoop some of the mixture out with a spoon.
- Heat approximately 1 - 2 centimeters of olive oil in a pan over medium heat (we like to use a non-stick pan).
- Use two spoons (we use tablespoons) to portion out the mixture for the fritters. Use the first spoon to scoop out the mixture and the second spoon to help shape it and to then slide it off the first spoon into the hot oil.
- Fry for 2 - 3 minutes until golden brown and then use two forks to flip your fritters over. Press down slightly and fry for an additional 2 - 3 minutes until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.
- Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Allow to cool and then serve with a side of plain yogourt or tzatziki.
- Enjoy!
Notes
We use plum tomatoes for this recipe because they are less juicy than other tomatoes. Still, you have to be sure to remove as much of the seeds and pulp as possible, otherwise your mixture will be too wet.
It is important to allow your tomato fritters to cool enough so that they don't fall apart when you lift them; this may happen if you try to eat them immediately from the pan.