Romanesco Broccoli Fritters, Parsley Dip, Pomegranate and Radicchio Salad

It's that time of year again when there are a lot of cauliflowers coming in - enough to make cauliflower cheese at least once a week for the rest of the month. I'm still at it with the vegetarian weekdays which is making me see cauliflowers in a new light. They're a surprising vegetable that make a great main course dish due to their chunky size and firm texture. 

This time, I went with another recipe adapted from the Ottolenghi Cookbook - cauliflower fritters. These are like any other fritters, but the spicing makes them taste more like a falafel than a plain sweetcorn fritter or the like. I was using Romanesco Broccoli, which has the firmness of a cauliflower and the sweetness of a standard broccoli, I think it capture the best of both brassica. It also comes in this beautiful natural green fractal shape, which can make it a scary vegetable to approach. Or if you're a bit of math nerd like me, too beautiful to take apart to eat! If you're going to make these and can't find Romanesco Broccoli, I would stick with a standard cauliflower.

I had been soaking some chickpeas overnight that I was going to use to make a stew but made these instead. Since the spicing was so much like falafel, I decided to add them to the batter paste which bulked these out a bit to make enough for lunch the following day too. 

The one thing I wanted to mention about the batter is that it is very very watery when you make it, but as soon as you plonk it in the oil, it firms up nicely. So what you end up with a lovely crispy exterior with a soft, moist and flavoursome interior. I have to say, the chickpeas give these a meaty quality that you just don't get with the cauliflower on it's own and it's what makes falafels taste so good! 

The Ottolenghi recipe serves this with a coriander cream dip, I made a parsley one because that's what I had. I also had some pomegranates and some radicchio which is an Italian red chicory. It's bitter and peppery tasting when raw so it's normally grilled or cooked to take the bitterness away. I dressed my salad with a honey vinaigrette which balanced out the bitterness of the radicchio and worked well with the pomegranates. There's a lot of crunch to this dish, so you really can't skip out on the dip as it works a smoothing sauce to give you a nice texture in your mouth. If you want to make this vegan, then use a vegan yoghurt instead, or a light hummus seasoned with sharp lime. 

Ingredients
1 small Romanesco Broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup of Chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked for 15 minutes
small handful of fresh Parsley, chopped
1 clove of Garlic, minced
1 small Onion, finely chopped
2 Eggs
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Tumeric
Salt & Pepper
Cooking Oil
1 Pomegranate, seeds removed
1 heart of Radicchio, sliced
1 tbsp Honey
1/2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup of Greek Yogurt
1/2 Lime, zest and juice
Olive Oil

Recipe
Start by getting a small pan of water to boiling point. Add the broccoli florets to the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until very soft. When they're cooked add them to a blender to mash. You don't want to puree them so just buzz slowly leaving some small chunks. Add the mashed broccoli to a bowl, then buzz the chickpeas and add them to the bowl. Now add your onion, garlic, fresh parsley and the dried spices. Give it a little mix then crack the eggs in, season well and give it all a proper mix to ensure everything is coated.

Put the bowl to one side, and heat a frying pan with 1 cm of cooking oil. I used rapeseed because it has a high burning point and is cheap and in abundance in Britain, but you can use sunflower or vegetable oil too. Don't bother using olive oil at this point, it will give the fritters a nasty bitter taste. When the oil is hot, take a dessert spoon and spoon the mixture into the oil , if your frying pan is large enough you should be able to do about four at a time. Cook on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Then put them on kitchen towel to absorb the oil.

To make the dip, simple mix the yoghurt with about 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, then add the lime zest and juice and season with salt and pepper. Done!

For the salad, you want to put your pomegranate seeds in a bowl with it's juices, then add the honey, balsamic vinegar and about 1 tablespoon of good olive oil. Give it a quick whisk, then season with salt but skip the pepper. Add the Radicchio leaves and give the whole thing a good toss.

Now you're ready to serve, give a generous portion of the salad, with the fritters on top and then drizzle over the parsley dip. Enjoy!