Just three days to go, people! Three days until the equinox when, at 11.06pm, the sun sits directly over the Earth’s equator as it moves northwards. With both hemispheres sharing the sun’s rays equally, night and day are roughly the same length and the season officially, finally, changes. For those of us who look to our plates as much as we look to the sky, this change in season in the UK is marked, unofficially, by the arrival of one wonderful thing: asparagus! It’s here, and we can all boil it and char it and steam, grill or bake it as much as we can during its short season. I’m never one to miss out on the opportunity to make fritters, so frying is going to be first up in my kitchen, not least because it’s also at long last time to open the kitchen window.
Asparagus and artichoke fritters with herby yoghurt (pictured top)
These make for a lovely light lunch, starter or snack. If you’ve got any other crunchy spring vegetables that need using up, feel free to use them instead of (or as well as) the asparagus – the likes of Tenderstem broccoli, sugar snap peas and carrots all work well.
Prep 20 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4-6
For the herb yoghurt
15g coriander leaves
15g mint leaves
150g greek yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
For the fritters
260g asparagus spears, trimmed and cut at an angle into 1cm lengths
160g jarred artichoke hearts in brine, drained and roughly chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced (60g net)
15g mint leaves, roughly chopped
15g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 green chillies (20g), finely sliced (remove and discard the pith and seeds if you prefer less heat)
100g pitted green olives (I use nocellara), roughly torn into pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar
2 eggs, beaten
50g self-raising flour
Fine sea salt and black pepper
300ml sunflower oil, for frying
Put all the ingredients for the herb yoghurt and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in a small food processor and blitz smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and set aside.
Put all the fritter ingredients except the oil in a large bowl with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and mix well to combine.
Put the oil in a medium-sized frying pan on a medium-high heat. Test it’s hot enough by dropping in a small pinch of the fritter mix – it should sizzle immediately. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, use a large metal spoon to drop 60-70g portions of the fritter mixture into the hot oil, easing them off with a smaller spoon, and fry for two to three minutes on each side, until golden and crisp. Drain on a large plate lined with kitchen paper while you repeat with the rest; if you like, keep the fritters warm in a low oven.
Once all the fritters are cooked, arrange them on a platter and serve with the herb yoghurt on the side for dipping.
Classic retested: leek fritters
The natural sweetness of leeks, with their soft, oniony aroma, makes them the perfect cold-weather comfort food, especially in the form of fritters. The creamy sauce that accompanies them, full of herbs and zest, is unreservedly delicious.
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
For the sauce
100g greek yoghurt
100g soured cream
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp fine sea salt
20g finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
30g finely chopped coriander leaves
For the fritters
3 leeks, trimmed (450g net weight)
140ml olive oil
2 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, split lengthways, pith and seeds discarded, flesh thinly sliced
25g parsley (leaves and soft stalks), finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 whole egg plus 1 egg white
120g self-raising flour
1 tbsp baking powder
150ml milk
55g unsalted butter, melted
First make the sauce. Put all the ingredients into a food processor, blitz until smooth and a uniform green, then put to one side.
Cut the leeks into 2cm-thick rounds, rinse under cold water, then drain and dry. Put five tablespoons of the oil in a pan on a medium heat, then saute the leeks and shallots, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until soft. Transfer to a bowl, mix in the chilli, parsley, spices, sugar and salt, and leave to cool.
Whisk the egg white to soft peaks, then fold it into the cooled vegetable mix. In a second bowl, mix the whole egg, flour, baking powder, milk and butter to make a batter, then gently stir into the vegetable and egg white mixture.
Put two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Test it’s hot enough by dropping in a small pinch of the fritter mix – it should sizzle immediately. Working in batches, drop four large spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and fry for two to three minutes on each side, until crisp and golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked fritters to a large plate lined with kitchen towel to drain, then repeat with the remaining fritter mix, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
This article was edited on 18 March 2024, to clarify that the herb yoghurt with the asparagus fritters should be seasoned with a quarter-teaspoon of salt.
Transfer the cooked fritters to a platter and serve warm with the sauce on the side or drizzled all over the top.
