I was lucky enough to receive a box of Broccolini to experiment with this week. It was sent to me from Perfection Fresh. While I did contemplate trying to make a Broccolini cake, this time I decided to not be quite so bold and experimented with Broccolini Fritters instead. They are delicious and so easy to make. Everyone in my family loves them. You can put them in lunch boxes or serve them as an accompaniment to dinner. The Parmesan chips are the same recipe from the Lamb Shanks which is the recipe I posted before this one. I told you those Parmesan chips would come in handy.

Here is the recipe for you to enjoy. Very simple to make and I served mine with Parmesan chips and a salsa sauce but you could easily change that to a sour cream sauce if you prefer.

1 bundle of Perfection Fresh Broccolini (3 cups chopped)
1/2 an onion diced
2 large egg
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup (30 grams) finely grated parmesan cheese
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
A pinch of chilli and several grinds of black pepper
Olive or vegetable oil for frying

For Parmesan cheese chips scatter Parmesan over a large oven tray lined with baking paper and bake until golden and crisp (8 minutes). Then break into small pieces.

To prepare your broccolini, just chop into small pieces. You can use all of the vegetable. You should have about 3 cups of chopped broccolini in total.

Place diced onion and chopped broccolini in a bowl and microwave for a minute or so until just tender.

In the bottom of a large bowl, lightly beat your egg. Add the flour, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper, chilli and then the water. When you feel the batter is looking smooth, add the cooled broccolini and onion. Mix until well covered in the batter

Heat a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, add a good slick of oil, about 2 to 3 tablespoons. Once the oil is hot, spoon two tablespoon-size mounds of the batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spoon or spatula. Repeat with additional batter, leaving a couple of inches between each. Once brown underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer briefly to paper towels to drain, then to a serving plate if you’ll be eating them shortly or a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven if you’d like to keep them warm for a while until needed. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil as needed.

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I have been a Gourmet Traveller subscriber for years. I have so many magazines that I have lugged around every time I move. It has been a blessing that now they have an iPad edition. I really didn’t have room for any more and couldn’t bring myself to throw any out. When I see the recipes on offer, I often change them just a little to suit me and this is what I did with this month’s Lamb Shank recipe. I didn’t julienne the zucchini, I just shredded it and I didn’t char grill the leek because I can’t be bothered with my smoke alarm going off!

Anyway I will post the Gourmet Traveller recipe and then it’s up to you whether you change it a bit like I did. The lamb shanks were amazing and so soft and the sauce sticky and delicious. The zucchini and leek was fresh and zesty and the parmesan chips are something everyone needs to indulge in. I am keeping some spare in the cupboard to throw in a salad.

Recipe

	1. For braised lamb shanks, preheat oven to 180C. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, season shanks to taste, add to pan in batches and cook, turning once, until browned (2-3 minutes each side). Transfer to a casserole with remaining ingredients, bring to the simmer, cover with a lid and braise in oven until meat is falling from the bone (3 hours). Set shanks aside, skim fat from braising liquid, then reduce over medium heat until slightly thickened (30-40 minutes). Return shanks to braising sauce and keep warm.
	2. Meanwhile, scatter parmesan over a large oven tray lined with baking paper and bake until golden and crisp (8 minutes). Roast almonds on a separate oven tray until golden (6-8 minutes). Set parmesan and almonds aside to cool, then transfer both to a food processor and process until finely chopped.
	3. Heat a char-grill pan over medium-high heat, add leeks and grill, turning occasionally, until completely blackened (15-20 minutes). Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and steam until tender (2-3 minutes). Remove with tongs (reserve juices), discard blackened layer and set aside.
	4. Add zucchini, herbs, lemon juice, oil and sugar to bowl with leek juices, season to taste, and stir gently to combine. Just before serving, stir in parmesan and almond crumbs. Serve shanks hot topped with braising sauce, with burnt leeks and zucchini salad.

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With this colder, foggy weather we have been having, my appetite has gone Crazy! I am always hungry! I have been trying to combat this by eating lots of vegetables so I don’t head to the cookie jar. In our home, vegetables have always been popular but then again we never serve just a bowl of boiled beans. Every time I prepare them differently. Sometimes in a tomato sauce like the Italians would , sometimes roasted in the oven with rosemary and lemon. This time I prepared the cauliflower in a fry pan and fried it up with Moroccan spices and pistachios. I posted a photo on my facebook page and there was a big response! Everyone wanted to eat it or cook it. So here is the recipe along with a simple Frittata which can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

If you prefer you can buy a sachet of Tagine Spices from Herbies. This way you don’t have to use all the other herbs and spices.

Enjoy!

Recipe for Fried Moroccan Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 whole cauliflower cut into small florets.

1 leek

1 onion

1 garlic clove

1 cup of roasted pistachios

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

1 teaspoon of dried coriander

olive oil

Method

Place olive oil, garlic, onion, leek ginger and spices in a hot fry pan and cook until onion is translucent.

Then add all the other ingredients and fry until the cauliflower is cooked to your liking.

Serve as a side dish or just enjoy a big bowl for lunch.

Recipe for Frittata

Ingredients

3 medium potatoes

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1  onion, chopped

2 zucchini sliced

100g baby spinach

200g red grape tomatoes, halved

1 red capsicum, chopped

5 eggs

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated tasty cheese

Method

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