Leek Fritters

Leeks are a veg which look like scallions who’ve grown gigantically and in fact are related to scallions, garlic, onion, shallots etc. They taste oniony but a bit milder and when I can get them, like to add them to soups and things.

You have to clean them well since they can be gritty but the lovely flavor is worth it. I decided to try them in fritters since they make both a delish side dish and can also double as a breakfast or lunch with a dab of sour cream on the side. They also make a nice “latke” for Chanukah which fast approaches, as well. ( I liked them so much that I decided to prepare these fritters for the plate of simanim or symbolic foods for Rosh Hashana where they made a mad hit with my brother Avi and SIL Diane and disappeared like they never existed). And, btw, they even do well a coupla days in the fridge, you can nuke ’em in the microwave to heat them up and they are good.

You can chop the leeks fine by hand if you wish but the chopping can be done very simply and easily in a food processor or blender and it will do all your work for you, making the whole fritter batter that way.

So start with some nice fresh leeks and I always peel off the outer layer and discard. You can use some of the green top if you wish, in this instance I didn’t. Split them and pull them apart washing each layer well (out grit! out out I say) then shake ’em off and place in a bowl.

These were beautiful firm leeks, as you can see. K. Take out your food processor and plunk the clean leeks into the bowl.

Now chop chop chop till small but not liquidy since you do want to feel their texture in the fritter. Gather the rest of your ingredients.

Add the eggs, flour, salt, baking powder.

Pulse together, scraping the sides down and incorporating everything into a thick batter.

As you can see, there are “flakes” of leek in the batter which give a very nice texture.

Now you can make the fritter straight out of the processor but I find it easier to scoop into a bowl to have to hand for the frying.

Pour enough mild oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan and heat oil till it starts to bubble, lower to medium high and place a heaping tablespoon of batter into hot oil (be careful not to burn yourself!) for each fritter. Fry about 2-3 minutes on one side or till nicely browned and carefully flip and fry other side another 2-3 minutes or so or till golden brown.

They rise nice and thick. You can drain on paper towels or wire racks. In this case, I had no time to drain on racks since they got snatched right off the plate and gobbled up. Hey, that works too! This particular batch got eaten for a quick and satisfying lunch. Serve with a chopped salad and it’s a meal.

Leek Fritters

2 small leeks, cut in half, layers separated, washed and cleaned
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
mild oil for frying

Directions:

Take the leeks which have been well cleaned to remove the grit. Take a food processor or blender and place the leeks into the bowl.
Chop leeks finely in food processor but not liquidy, leave some texture. Add the flour, salt, baking powder and eggs and pulse together, scraping down sides and incorporating into a thick batter. Take a frying pan and pour a shallow amount of oil to cover bottom of pan. Heat oil till it bubbles and lower to medium high heat. Take heaping tablespoons of the batter and fry in hot oil about 2-3 minutes on each side or till golden brown on both sides. Drain on wire racks for best crispiness or paper towels if you will eat them hot off the “griddle”.