Corn fritters with roasted balsamic tomatoes

 This recipe is special for two reasons - Firstly it reminds me of pre-pandemic when we could have a cafe breakfast on weekends (Here in Melbourne we have been in lock-down for over 250 days and it looks to be continuing for a while) and more importantly my vegan niece and nephew have challenged me to try more vegetarian meals. Grace is very passionate about this cause, and so I have been trying to prepare a vegetarian meal weekly (baby steps I know!).

In order to understand the reasons people choose to be vegetarian or vegan, I have started to undertake some research on the impacts of the large scale consumption of meat and meat products on our planet. In his fabulous book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollen challenges us to review the impact our modern lives have had on the environment and animal welfare. Foods that were considered seasonal or regional delicacies are now through refrigeration and other modern food preservation technologies, modern logistic chains, and the development of "fast foods" are available to us through supermarkets all year round. We have lost our relationship between culture and food, between the seasons and what is on our plates, between the producer who cares for his/her land and livestock and the end product that we consume. I can strongly recommend reading the book if for no other reason than to become aware of some of the processes that occur to bring food onto our plates. In many ways, this follows on from the philosophy of the Slow Food movement, which states "Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization, founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract the rise of fast life and combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world around us. Through our food choices we can collectively influence how food is cultivated, produced and distributed, and change the world as a result." (https://www.slowfood.com/about-us/)

Back to today's recipe, that in a small way, helps change the world by using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. A quick search for corn fritter recipes brings up thousands of hits on Google. This one is easy to scale up to feed a crowd, tasty and stores well to be reheated the next day. They are also simple to make, and easily look like a cafe prepared meal, without the need for any fancy equipment.

I prefer to use fresh corn when available. To prepare, remove the husk and silk. Break off the stem and place this end on a board. Hold the cob at the pointy end, and using a sharp knife, starting at the top, cut downwards with a gentle sawing motion. Don't go too close to the center of the cob, as not only is this hard to cut but will put "woody" ends in with the kernels.

If fresh corn is not in season, the best alternative is frozen. Frozen vegetables are usually frozen within hours of being picked, and when thawed, they are very close to fresh in taste and texture. (http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Frozen-Vegetable.html). The kernels only take 10-15 minutes to thaw before processing. Canned corn has been cooked in the canning process. Drain very well. Canned corn will give you a wetter batter, so adjust with a little extra flour if needed.

There are many tweaks you can make to this recipe. I like to put a pinch of cayenne pepper in with the flour to add a bit of heat. Other serving suggestions include: serve with sour cream and some pickled jalapeño slices; or with a poached egg (with some crispy bacon for the non vegetarians).

For all the tips and tricks, watch my YouTube video - the link is after the recipe.

Serves 2

• 300 g corn kernels (approx. 2 cobs)

• 1/2 small red onion chopped

• 1 egg

• 1 tbl coriander leaves (include some stems)

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 cup plain flour (GF)

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tbl olive oil

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 250 g truss cherry tomatoes

• 1 tbl balsamic vinegar

• 2 tbl olive oil

 • avocado slices and lime to serve

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place cherry tomatoes in a shallow dish. Combine vinegar and oil and brush onto tomatoes. Bake for 10-15 minutes until soft.

Put aside 125 g of corn kernels. In a food processor, place the remainder of the corn, coriander, onion, egg, salt and pepper. Blend until mostly pureed - leave a few lumps. Transfer to a bowl and stir through remaining corn, flour and baking powder until just combined.

In a heavy based frypan, heat 1 tbl olive oil on a medium heat. Using a large spoon, drop mixture into the frypan and cook on each side until golden (1.5-2 minutes each side).

Serve with tomatoes, avocado wedges and a twist of lime.

updated October 2023