A FRESH WAY TO USE SOME LEFTOVERS(OR NOT)..
Thinking of what to do with that container of last night's steamed broccoli? Yes? I knew it. That's so
funny because I had the same thing happen to me today! So there was this container from a few nights
ago of steamed broccoli that was hanging out in the tundra of the fridge, a Siberian like shelf that only
badly behaved criminals from our dinner table get banished to. Didn't want to eat something heavy (you'
re looking at the fried item in the picture and saying "Not heavy? It's fried? Did AFOODOBSESSION have
too many espressos today???) The way I play speed-mock-"Chopped" in my own kitchen is a look at one
wayward item on a shelf then do a quick scan of the other shelves and usually, the second ingredient
gives me the inspiration for something. In today's case, the lucky second ingredient was a container of
Greek Yoghurt. Lightbulb goes off over my head...Broccoli fritters with yoghurt sauce...the third ingredient
I spotted was a small piece of Feta cheese. Now I've moved into the Greek zone completely, if only I had
a cucumber...there it was, in the vegetable drawer. There's a lonely piece of red onion...some fresh
mint...everything is here...I am making a Broccoli and red onion, feta, and dill fritter with a side sauce of
Tzatziki, the classic yoghurt, garlic and cucumber sauce that starts off many a Greek meal.
This is the most fun way of cooking for me...no planning, (that cuts out the premature stress-fest) and
just be spontaneous, create from a palate of flavors that work together and you'll have a blast cooking
this way.. Not the way to put together a dinner for a large group, but certainly doable for a small group of 1,
2, 3, 4 or 5. Drawback is you must have enough of whatever you are making that will serve the amount
you need to feed. Anywho...the leftover star of this dish is the broccoli.
As a kid, Mom would recycle any leftover broccoli into a refreshing salad of red wine vinegar, garlic,
olive oil or lots of fresh lemon instead of the vinegar..salt and pepper...Served at room temperature,
it was delicious..add some briny Imported olive to that , pure vegetal bliss. Sometimes she'd mash
zucchini or broccoli with some egg, cheese and breadcrumbs, flatten spoonfuls of it into a frying pan
with a little olive oil...fritti di verdure..vegetable fritters..well this idea is a Greek flavored version of those
easy quick yet elegant when presented well patties.
Use 2 cups of leftover steamed broccoli, coarsely chopped and add it to 2 beaten eggs, 1/8 cup crumb-
led Feta, 1 sprig of fresh dill, chopped, 1/8 cup fine diced red onion, 3 tbs. breadcrumbs, 1/8 tsp.
ground allspice, pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper. 4 tbs. sifted flour. Blend together the
mixture holds itself without running.
Using a tablespoon, drop the mixture gently onto a wide skillet on medium heat with 2 tbs. of olive
oil in the the pan. With the back of the spoon flatten out the mix to form the pancakes/fritters. Fry
for 4 minutes per side or less, adjusting your heat as necessary. Drain on paper towels.
These are fairly light and not greasy.I served them with a Tzatziki sauce, a tradtionial Greek Yoghurt(luckily we now can buy this in every
supermarket instead of making a trip to Astoria, Queens or Athens, Greece), chopped and drained
cucumbers, and garlic. Use 1 finely chopped cucumber (remove seeds first), skin on/skin off, your
choice on that one..me, I like the skin on. Add them to a cheesecloth or papertowelstrainer which is
placed over a bowl. This will allow the cucumber to give up all that water which dilutes and thins out
the sauce. Too much water will not be a nice sauce. Tip from Uncle Stavros (i don't have an Uncle
Stavros, I'm just adding some Greek color here!!). Let the cucumber drain for about an hour. Then
squeeze the paper towels around it extracting more of the liquid. Then add it to 1 cup of Greek
Yoghurt, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 2 tsp. fresh chopped mint, 1 small finely minced clove
of garlic. Blend this all together and let it sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour. Place a
generous spoonful on a plate and arrange the warm broccoli fritters around it, a few fresh mint
leaves and you are ready for a light, yet filling entree or appetizer...for a starter, just make the fritters
smaller.
Simple, straightforward flavors enhanced with exotic warm spices...the hallmarks of Greek cooking.
I served this with some very sweet black seedless grapes..loved the taste of the sweet with the savory and mouth puckering
yoghurt. Makes me smile!
Posted by peter battaglia at 9/9/2011 11:44 PM 
Categories: VEGETABLES, FETA, APPETIZERS, GREEK, VEGETARIAN
Tags: broccoli GREEK
Categories: VEGETABLES, FETA, APPETIZERS, GREEK, VEGETARIAN
Tags: broccoli GREEK
I love Tzatziki I can eat it with everything! This idea for the leftovers is great! You are so inspirational!
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