Cheesy Broccoli Fritters, Baked not Fried

Broccoli Fritters which can be baked instead of fried, are my ideal way of making delicious and easy fritters where there's no risk of them breaking apart and no need to stand endlessly at the stove flipping fritters. I just know you will love this method too.  Baking ensures they are crispy and hold together well, thanks to the egg and cheese binding all the ingredients together. 

These fritters are the "grown up" version of a recipe I posted a couple of years ago for Itsy Bitsy Broccoli Bites, which are also baked, and have always been a favourite in our family, and children just love them. Kids will also love this latest version which are slightly larger, contain a few more ingredients, and go a lot further. They are the perfect snack to serve with afternoon drinks, or as a vegetarian meal with a salad on Meat Free Monday, or for a tasty lunch anytime. What do you think about adding them to the children's lunchboxes for a healthy alternative? I know I would. Whichever way you serve them, you will want to keep eating them. This is my version of the recipe that the wonderful Nagi Maehashi published in her latest cookbook, Dinner, inspired by how much we have all enjoyed the Broccoli Bites since I first made them.

I am sure that you will love these Broccoli Fritters too. You won't be able to stop munching on them.

Serves 5-6 as a main course (makes about 24 fritters)

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INGREDIENTS:

Prep time: 15 minutes: Cooking time: 35 minutes

350 g broccoli florets, cut into even-sized pieces. (that's about 5 heaped cups)

Olive oil or canola oil spray

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried Italian mixed herbs or dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh

 oregano

3/4 teaspoon cooking salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups (260 g) cooked barley, rice or quinoa.

2 cups (200 g) shredded tasty cheese such as a mix of parmesan and cheddar.

3/4 cup (40 g) finely sliced, and finely chopped green onion.

1/2 cup (30 g) panko breadcrumbs

Dipping Sauces:

I served these with Sweet Chilli Sauce. However, my delicious homemade Sweet Chilli Jam, a Yoghurt Sauce, plain Yoghurt, or Tzatziki are other options.

INSTRUCTIONS

Oven temperature will be 240 deg. C or 220 deg C. fan forced)

Beautiful Broccoli washed and ready to cook.

Preparing the Broccoli:

The aim is to end up with well-cooked broccoli that can be chopped into small 1 cm pieces.

Trim the broccoli stalks, removing the very nobbly ends, and boil the broccoli in a pot of water for 6 minutes until the stalks are very tender. 

Drain in a colander and allow to dry off for about 15 minutes. There needs to be a minimum of broccoli moisture added to the batter. Give the colander a bit of a shake to remove the last of the water. After chopping, the broccoli florets will end up finely minced, and that's ok.

Preheat the oven to 240 deg. C (220 deg. C fan forced)

Select two large baking trays, lightly spray them with oil, then line with baking paper.

Making the Batter:

The fritter batter can mostly be prepared while the broccoli is cooking to save time.

Add to a large bowl the eggs, garlic and onion powders, Italian herbs, salt and pepper, and mix with a wooden spoon. 

Add the broccoli, your chosen grain such as rice or barley, cheese, green onion, and breadcrumbs. Mix until well combined.

I used an ice cream scoop to drop the batter onto the baking trays, it makes life much easier.

Otherwise, dollop 3 tablespoon mounds onto the baking trays. Allow 10-12 per tray, about 20-24 in total, my batch made 20, which is great because we couldn't stop eating them.

Using a spatula, flatten the mounds into 1.3 cm thickness.

Spray the surface of the fritters with olive or canola oil.

Bake the fritters in your preheated oven for 18 minutes, flip them over, and bake for a further 7 minutes. They will be crispy and golden and very yummy. Check that the bottom tray is cooked enough and give it a bit longer if necessary.

Cook's Notes for Success:

• The eggs and cheese will bind the batter together well, even though it might seem a little loose and crumbly to start with.
• I used barley in my fritters, which is a healthier and nuttier flavoured option than white rice, and it was delicious. I only used it because I had a frozen container of it needing to be used up. Any healthy cooked grain will work here.
• Storebought Italian mixed herbs or oregano are interchangeable, use what you have on hand.
• Always wash your broccoli before cooking it, it has probably been sprayed during growing with some pesticides, unless you buy organic.
• Using an ice cream scoop to measure out the batter makes the process very easy.
• Leftover fritters reheat beautifully in the oven the following day for 8 minutes at 180 deg. C, 160 deg. C. fan forced. retaining their crispiness. However, they are still delicious eaten cold. They store well covered in the refrigerator for a few days but may lose some crispiness.

Serve the fritters with the dipping sauces you have chosen and with a salad for a main course.

 

Warm wishes

Pauline