Recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi
Adapted by Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- 5(249)
- Notes
- Read community notes
These leek fritters from Yotam Ottolenghi were featured in a Times Magazine article in 2011, and they are absolutely delicious, an easy answer to anyone asking for a vegetarian main dish. They’re somehow both ultratender and wonderfully crisp, sweet from the caramelized leeks and bright and riotously flavorful thanks to the abundance of herbs. You can substitute onions if leeks are unavailable. But try for leeks. —Mark Bittman
Featured in: Yotam Ottolenghi’s International Cuisine
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings (about 8 large fritters)
- About ¾ cup olive oil
- 3leeks, thickly sliced
- 5shallots, finely chopped
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon ground coriander
- ½teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1fresh red chili (like Thai), seeded and sliced
- 1cup fresh parsley (leaves and fine stems), finely chopped
- ⅔cup fresh cilantro (leaves and fine stems), finely chopped
- 2 to 3ounces manouri cheese, broken into large chunks (or drained ricotta cheese or young goat cheese)
- 1teaspoon salt
- 1egg white
- 1cup all-purpose flour
- 1½teaspoons baking powder
- 1whole egg
- ½cup milk
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Lemon wedges for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
767 calories; 59 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 34 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 757 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the oven to 200. Put ⅓ cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the leeks and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and add the chili, parsley, cilantro, manouri and salt. Allow to cool, then stir gently.
Step
2
Beat the egg white until soft peaks form, and fold it into the onions. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, whole egg, milk and butter to form a smooth batter. Gently fold it into the onion mixture.
Step
3
Put 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it's hot, ladle four spoonfuls (about half of the batter) into the pan to make four large fritters. Fry them until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels, then transfer to a platter in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more of the oil as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.
Ratings
5
out of 5
249
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Cooking Notes
Juliet
sauce: 1/2 cup each of Greek yogurt and sour cream
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbl lemon juice
3 Tbl EVOO
salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 cups chopped cilantro
Puree with immersion blender or food processor until uniform green color.
Martha
These are SO delicious. They are extremely rich and filling. Ottolenghi's recipe has an accompanying herb and yogurt sauce which is worth the extra effort.
Susan
I've made these many times, both with and without the cheese, at times substituting feta and eliminating the t of salt. They are delicious any way. I also add a t of lemon zest to the herbed yogurt sauce.
Julian Woods
A fantastic use of leeks beside the usual potato and leek soup. Taste amazing!!! Yes, rich and filling as Martha says. As usual a very satisfying recipe I've found and will remember. Will definitely make again and with the herb and yoghurt sauce next time.
NLC
recipe for the herb and yogurt sauce?
Karen
Gluten free, Dairy free version delicious too!Substituted coconut milk for cow milk, GF all-purpose baking flour (Bob's Red Mill) for regular flour, vegan butter spread for butter, and served goat cheese on the side for guests who can eat dairy. WOW, they were wonderful and well worth the effort!
condiment queen
Incredible flavor! Yogurt sauce is a must in my book. Loosely followed the yogurt sauce recipe in Juliet's note replacing sour cream with more yogurt and reducing the garlic to one clove. With the fritters, I reduced butter by one tablespoon and used feta.
AmandaPNW
Delicious. However - pretty time consuming recipe. I'd say 2 hours. Cardamon is an incredible touch.
AmandaPNW
Delicious. However - pretty time consuming recipe. 2 hours. Also I suggest making smaller fritters vs 8 large ones (according the the math in the recipe) because they will cook faster. Cardamon is an incredible touch.
lisa bertucci
sauce: 1/2 cup each of Greek yogurt and sour cream2 garlic cloves2 Tbl lemon juice3 Tbl EVOOsalt to taste1/2 cup chopped parsley2 cups chopped cilantro
Taylor
These are delicious — and I'd made salsa verde the night before, so that also went well. However, this does require a few different bowls and pans and it's kind of a lot to tackle on a weeknight.
grant
wildly delicious. i added chopped fresh salmon to them and made salmon cakes. a favorite!
Karen
Gluten free, Dairy free version delicious too!Substituted coconut milk for cow milk, GF all-purpose baking flour (Bob's Red Mill) for regular flour, vegan butter spread for butter, and served goat cheese on the side for guests who can eat dairy. WOW, they were wonderful and well worth the effort!
Diana
You can bake these -- just be sure not to wait for them to "brown," as they'll dry out. Flavor is amazing!
Lakelady
Delicious with herbs from my garden plus cilantro. Something ate my parsley, so I used a combination of fresh oregano, Thai Basil, and a little mint. Goat cheese. This is a keeper.
Susan
I've made these many times, both with and without the cheese, at times substituting feta and eliminating the t of salt. They are delicious any way. I also add a t of lemon zest to the herbed yogurt sauce.
SP
I thought these were pretty tasty, but not worth the time/effort involved. I also made the yogurt sauce to go with it, which I think is a must. My family was raving about the sauce.
wilcoworld
This one is divine.
We have made it about 3 times as a special dinner. Fritters sound like a side dish but this one is a celebration in its own right and makes for a delightful vegetarian dinner.
I have ground each spice rather than purchase commercially ground. Just to be sure to get the most fragrance from each.
It takes time to get all the ingredients pulled together.
The original calls for the leeks & shallots to be softened in a pan. Our preference. Lemon a must. Yogurt, too.
Juliet
sauce: 1/2 cup each of Greek yogurt and sour cream
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbl lemon juice
3 Tbl EVOO
salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 cups chopped cilantro
Puree with immersion blender or food processor until uniform green color.
Katherine
Could these be made ahead of time and then reheated before serving?
Laurie
Thought these were really very good, but not worth all the work.
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