INTRODUCTION

I know the word fritter conjures up a complex world of deep-frying and dense-eating, but these are light, simple babies - just grated courgettes, mixed with feta, herbs and spring onions, stirred up with flour and eggs and dolloped into a frying pan to make little vegetable pancakes which, unlike most fried food, are best eaten not straight out of the pan, but left to cool to room temperature. This takes any slaving over a hot stove element out of the equation: you just spoon serenely away over your pan before anyone's around.

Ingredients:-

Makes about 6 fritters

• 1 courgette
• 2 spring onions (finely chopped)
• 60 grams feta cheese
• 1 small bunch fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1 small bunch fresh mint (chopped (plus extra to sprinkle over at the end))
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 40 grams plain flour
• salt
• pepper
• 1 large eggs (beaten)
• olive oil (for frying)
• 1 lime

Method:-

• Coarsely grate the courgettes with either the grating blade in the processor or by hand.
• Spread the little shards out on a tea towel and leave for about 20 minutes to get rid of any excess wetness.
• Put the chopped spring onions in a bowl and crumble in the feta.
• Stir in the chopped parsley and mint, along with the dried mint and paprika.
• Add the flour and season well with salt and pepper.
• Gradually add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly before stirring in the drained, grated courgettes. Don't be alarmed by the unflowing straggly lumpiness of this batter; it's meant to be this way.
• Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and drop heaped dessertspoons of the mixture into the hot oil, flattening the little cakes down with the back of the spoon as you go.
• Cook these little patties for about 2 minutes each side until golden, and then transfer to a couple of waiting plates.
• Chop up the limes and tumble them about the edges of the plates.
• Sprinkle over a little more chopped mint and eat them just as they are, spritzed with lime juice as you go.