RICOTTA, CORN AND COURGETTE FRITTERS

TRICK: Fritters re-heat very well in the oven ready to be served as tasty party finger food.
TRICK 2: Fritters offer a great place to hide greens from toddlers who deem them uncool.


Fritters have made appearances in various guises on these pages, even corn fritters. When Billie was a baby I made lots of simple vegetarian fritters. But each time I get in a fritter mood I experiment with texture and substance - to flour or not to flour, to baking powder or not, and so on.

This particular model was a roaring success with Billie but also was very well received at a work do last night to farewell our colleague Ronan. I had pre-party jitters about how the  re-heating would go. But no fear - ten minutes in the oven on a tray left them perfectly light and crispy.

RICOTTA, CORN AND COURGETTE FRITTERS

4 corn cobs, lightly steamed

4 spring onions, finely chopped

3 courgettes/zucchini, grated

1/4 cup fresh coriander/cilantro chopped (optional)

4 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta (preferably the solid, firm kind - but if it's runny just cut back on the milk)

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup plain flour

generous grindings of salt and black pepper

oil

Allow cobs to cool for a few minutes before removing corn - lay cobs down horizontally on chopping board and use large knife to slice off. This prevents the corn covering your kitchen floor.

Combine corn with spring onions, coriander, courgettes and flour and baking powder. In a smaller bowl combine milk and ricotta with beaten eggs, then pour into the large bowl with rest of fritter ingredients.

Heat about one tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. I used rice bran oil as it heats to high temperatures and doesn't have any flavour, but olive oil works too. Once pan is hot, drop tablespoon lots of batter into pan (don't crowd in pan and keep them small - they cook quicker and look more appetising).

Cook until lightly browned on both sides, flipping once. Keep heat to medium so they cook through without burning. Remove first batch onto plate lined with paper towel, and repeat until mixture used up.

While these re-heat in the oven very well, you can keep the mixture in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days and impress your friends and family with fritters and eggs for brunch, fritters on the side of their chili beans, fritter sandwiches, etc.

And a very Happy Birthday to my father...

GETTING CREATIVE with NUTTY TOFU AND SWEET POTATO FRITTERS

Being 'stranded' in a Chicago kitchen sans cookbooks and my usual over-stocked pantry is forcing me to get more creative.

It's a good way to be. I think when we return home to Sydney I will force myself use everything in the cupboards before buying any more dried goods. That's if the guy renting our apartment hasn't already made good use of the stocks (I did encourage him - being a fellow cook and vegetarian).  

I devised this delicious, adult-and-baby-friendly recipe while brushing my teeth one night this week, and have since made the fritters twice - to Billie's delight. Both times she munched her way through FOUR - she demanded I cook up some more after demolishing her first. Not only does she love the taste, but the fritters are perfect self-feeding items. Just break off a little and hand over. Although Billie also allowed me to spoon her a fair amount of fritter, impatient for that taste sensation.

A note on nuts: I began feeding Billie nut butters (but not yet peanut) when she was about 8.5 months. Please consult your doctor if your baby is deemed at risk of allergies.

Check these for more info:   An Eggy Affair - allergies etc             American Academy Pediatrics


NUTTY TOFU AND SWEET POTATO FRITTERS

1 large sweet potato

1/2 block tofu

4 T almond butter (or any other suitable nut)

2 eggs, beaten

1 spring onion

1 clove garlic

handful fresh coriander, finely chopped

1/2 t salt (optional - best not for baby)

Fresh lime or lemon wedges to squeeze over hot fritters   

Cut sweet potato into pieces and steam. Remove skins and mash with fork. Meanwhile, finely slice spring onions and garlic, saute briefly. Mash tofu and combine all with eggs and sweet potato. Mixture should be wet.

Heat olive oil in fry pan.When hot, spoon tablespoons of mixture into pan and turn heat right down to low. Cook gently for few minutes (about five) before attempting to flip. They are prone to break, but when cooked enough on one side they will stay intact. So if the first one crumbles, leave the rest a bit longer. If you find they are too fragile, add about one-two tablespoons of flour. Avoid doing this though as it changes the flavour.

Eat hot with freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice. Serve as is for lunch, or with green and tomato salad for dinner. Be sure to reserve some for the adults, as baby likely to munch through more than you may think....

BABY-FRIENDLY CURRY

Billie bites' latest challenge is to create food that the baby can feed herself, or at least attempt to feed herself while mamma spoons the rest of the meal into her open mouth. Don't get me wrong - Billie LOVES her food. There is no force-feeding going on here. In fact, Billie loved this simple yet eagerly-devoured-by-all vegetarian curry so much that she forgot she (mostly) wasn't feeding herself.

However, as Billie increasingly asserts her independence and desire to prove she can eat all by herself thanks very much, more and more ingenious feeding methods are sought. She has her own spoon to clench and bang on the table when dinner appears to be late. At breakfast she has a segment of mandarin or orange to suck and chomp on between mouthfuls of porridge (also useful to get that vitamin C necessary to absorb the iron from her millet/rice cereal). But the last few days we have seen such staunch attempts to grab the spoon from my hands that more food is going on the floor than down her throat.

So, enter the curry. Chunks of vegetable and tofu Billie could feel personally responsible for, while enthusiastically gulping back many spoons of the curry and rice blend I placed in her mouth.


COCONUT, TOMATO AND PUMPKIN CURRY

What makes this a baby-friendly curry? NO CHILI, and only a little salt. Serve with brown rice. 

1 onion, finely chopped

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 can tomatoes, chopped

1 can coconut cream (pref. organic)

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 Tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 large carrots, sliced into rounds

1/8 pumpkin, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 head broccoli, cut into florets and stalks into chunks

1/2 teaspoon salt

small block of tofu (optional)

 Heat oil in large heavy pot. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add spices and tomatoes (including juice), salt and coconut cream. Slowly bring to boil and immediately turn down to low simmer.  Leave lid on, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, and 10 mins later add pumpkin. Wait another ten minutes before adding broccoli.

Prepare the tofu, if using. Cut into small cubes and either fry in oil in hot pan until golden, or just throw into curry with broccoli to cook. I did a bit of both, sprinkling the fried pieces on top of the curry when serving.

Meanwhile, place 1 1/2 cups brown rice in small pot with 3 cups cold water. Bring to boil with lid on, then immediately turn down to low simmer. Leave lid on and DO NOT stir. Check after 20 mins and when water absorbed or almost absorbed, remove from heat and serve with curry.

To serve to baby, blend a portion of curry and rice until as pureed as needed. Reserve a few pieces of vegetable (esp pumpkin) and serve alongside mush. Billie managed a bit of straight rice tonight, but I'm not sure how well digested it will be...

Homemade Curry Powder