Giving cauliflower some va va voom: Cauliflower and cumin fritters with lime yoghurt

As it happens, I actually quite like cauliflower and don't feel it necessary to cover it in cheese sauce to make it edible. You can roast it to give it a certain something, but to be honest, the only roasted vegetable that really really really floats my boat is the spud, and so I tend not to be too interested in digging out the roaster otherwise.

These fritters though are lovely! And filling! I've never remembered cauliflower making me feel so content. The thing about the cauliflower is that because of its 'blandness', it's a great foil for more pungent flavours, such as the cumin in these fritters. The zinginess of the yoghurt dip completes a really satisfying appetiser. I should also confess that I ate the remainder of these, cold, from the fridge, a la Nigella for my breakfast the next morning. They beat Muesli by some considerable distance.

Lola and Finn, admittedly, were a little "Meh!" about these, which was a shame as I always hope that they will enjoy something new. But you can't win them all. Otherwise these little fritters are appreciated far and wide, and would be a great appetiser for a Middle Eastern banquet, or to be honest, just whipped up as something to munch slumped in front of the TV.

The recipe is from the clever Ottolenghi chaps. Their book is one of the best cookbook purchases I have ever made, frankly. I cannot recommend it highly enough for its diversity and for its indulgent recipes with (most importantly!) a tremendously good selection of cakes to make.

Cauliflower and cumin fritters with lime yoghurt, taken from the Ottolenghi cookbook

Makes about 8 -10, depending on your generosity.

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower (A small one I would suggest; I used half an extra large one)
120g plain flour
3 tbsp chopped flat –leaf parsley
1 garlic clove crushed
2 shallots chopped (though I used half an onion)
4 eggs
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp ground turmeric
1.5 tsp salt
1. tsp black pepper
550 ml oil

Lime Sauce:

330g Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp chopped coriander
Grated zest 1 lime
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method:

Make the lime yoghurt first. Put all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. Taste – looking for a vibrant, tart, citrusy flavour, and it is very likely that you will need to add salt and pepper

Chill or leave out for up to half an hour.

For the fritters: Prepare the cauliflower, dividing it into florets. Add to a large pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 15 minutes or until very soft. Drain into a colander and set aside until needed.

Put the flour, chopped parsley, garlic, onion (or shallots), eggs, spices, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk into a batter. When the mixture is smooth, add the warm cauliflower. Mix to break down cauliflower into the batter.

Pour sunflower oil into a pan – 1.5cm depth – and heat. When hot, spoon in generous portions of the cauliflower mixture. I used an ice cream scoop in the hope that I would get the fritters reasonably equal. For the children I made smaller ones however, in an attempt to entice them.

Fry the fritters in small batches, and be vigilant because they can burn easily. They should take 3-4 minutes on each side.

Remove from pan and drain on a kitchen paper. Serve with the lime yoghurt.