Dilemmas, dilemmas.
So when I was staring down a $1 bag of vegetable medley — you know, that mix of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower — I realized I had to do something other than steam it this time. I found Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for Broccoli Fritters, and got experimenting. It turns out, vegetable medley works just as well!
You have to heat the veggies in the microwave (put ’em in a bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of water for about 10 minutes, or until thawed), before using a fork to mash them into bite-sized pieces, about the size of your thumbnail. I recommend chopping up the carrot coins before mashing them with your fork, or if you’re all fancy and have a food processor, you can pulse everything in there a few times.
It’s as easy as mixing everything together to form a dough, then dropping tablespoonfuls onto a hot frying pan that’s sizzling with a couple tablespoons of oil. (Worth noting: Oil starts to smoke at different temperatures, so if you see a little smoke, you’re not burning your meal. Turn down the heat a little and prop open a window so you don’t set off your alarm.)
Basically, think of it like you’re making chocolate chip cookies, only instead of putting them on a baking sheet, you’re cooking them right on the pan. An even better comparison: Cooking burgers on a stovetop.
The fritters’ texture is kind of like a McDonald’s hashbrown, only much less greasy, and it has a savory, slightly cheesy flavor that’s wildly addictive.
Vegetable Medley Fritters Recipe:
- 1 bag frozen vegetable medley (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 egg
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 clove, minced)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive, or canola)
- Place the frozen vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl and add the water. Heat in the microwave for about 10 minutes, or until completely thawed.
- Chop up the carrot coins into bite-sized pieces, and mash all of the vegetables with the back of a fork so they're about the size of your thumbnail or smaller. (Shortcut: You can also just pulse them in a food processor, if you have one.)
- Crack an egg into a large mixing bowl and beat it until it's all a pale yellow. Add the flour, cheese, garlic, salt, mashed vegetables and onion powder (if you're including it). Mix everything together to form a paste-like dough.
- Turn the stovetop to medium-high heat and let the frying pan warm up for about a minute or two. Add the oil and gently swirl the pan so the bottom is coated. Gently drop a few heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the pan, being careful not to let them touch. Let it cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Set each cooked fritter on a plate lined with paper towels to cool for a few minutes (and collect any excess grease).
[…] looking for other great date night sides, how about some garlic parmesan steamed broccoli? Or Broccoli Cauliflower Fritters? Oven-baked sweet potato fries? The creamiest mashed potatoes we’ve ever tried? Honey glazed […]
I like your style of explaining this recipe. Down to earth and kinda funny.