Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

fritter (noun): a small mass of fried or sautéed batter often containing fruit or meat — from merriam-webster.com

let’s hone in on, “small mass of fried or sautéed batter” – so how can it not be good?!  add a little broccoli and you can feel a little less bad about the “fried” part…

matt and i eat these by themselves and call it lunch, but you can pair them with some grilled chicken or steak to call it a meal.

if you haven’t made a savory fritter before, you should try making these!  Be sure to let me know how yours turn out in the comments section.

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

hardly adapted from: smittenkitchen.com

Yield: 9 – 2 to 2.5 in. fritters {we find that it makes 5-7 fritters}

ingredients

• 3 cups fresh broccoli, chopped {include some stems}
• 1 large egg
• .5 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed**
• .5 tsp kosher salt
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil

directions

Prepare the broccoli – all chopped pieces should be about a .5-inch in length, be sure to add a few stems as well.  Steam your  broccoli until tender, but not mushy: you can use a steamer, or however you’d like – but the quick/easy way that we use {from smittenkitchen} is to bring a .5-inch or so of water to a boil in a small saucepan, then add the broccoli, place a lid on it and simmer it for 5-6 minutes.  Drain the broccoli, then set it aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg.  Add the flour, cheese, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Then, add the cooked broccoli and, using a potato masher, mash the broccoli just a bit.  Make sure to keep the bits recognizable, but small enough that you can press a mound of the batter into a fritter in the pan.  Once mashed a bit, stir the ingredients together the rest of the way with a spoon.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat.  Once hot, add both oils. When the oil is hot {flick a droplet of water into it and it should hiss and sputter}, scoop up a serving-size mound of the batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spatula.  Repeat with additional batter, leaving an inch or two between each.  We were able to get all 7 into the pan.  Once brown underneath, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, approximately 2 minutes on each side.

Transfer to paper towels to absorb some of the oil, then serve them up! …enjoy!!

**Best garlic press: Rösle Garlic Press – sure it’s super expensive, but one press and you’ll know it’s worth it! i was lucky enough to have one gifted to me… thanks Mom!!!