Couscous Fritters!
The guys have eaten some of the leftover shawarma stew from the other night but how to use up the remaining couscous? I found several recipes that suggested making them into fritters. Great idea! Several of them were quite elaborate though and since I intended for them to be an accompaniment to finish off the stew, I wanted something that was a bit simpler.
Even with the simplest of the recipes, I had to substitute quite a few of the ingredients; feta cheese was replaced by a goat brie (the recipe called for a cup of feta, I did 3 oz. of the brie), the mint was replaced by green onions and the dried basil was replaced by dried marjoram. I doubled the recipe since I had quite a bit of couscous left.
It's a super easy recipe. I combined all the ingredients into a bowl and mixed them well.
While the oil was heating in the frying pan, I contemplated the consistency. Though the starchiness of the couscous and the eggs would likely create a good crust in the hot oil, the looseness of the mixture was still a concern to me. The image of individual, battered couscous grains floating around in hot oil was highly unpleasant. Oh, heck. I already cannibalized this recipe, what's a little more improvisation? I added about 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and was rewarded with a much more dependable texture.
I used a large spoon to scoop the batter into the oil and gently flattened them out a bit.
When they came out of the oil, I drained them on paper towels and then moved them to a rack so they could cool without getting soggy.
And, in my last rebellious touch, I put the merest whisper of Maldon sea salt flakes over the warm tops.
The outsides were golden and lightly crisped and the inside was fluffy with just a hint of the goat brie. A larger amount of the cheese would have been obnoxious.
The guys really enjoyed the twist on couscous and ate them separately and dunked into the shawarma stew. Though I didn't follow the recipe closely, I did use the ingredient proportions as guidelines. There's a lot of potential here; I'd like to try different cheeses and use regular couscous, too. A 5 turtle rating tonight!
Here is the promised link:
Maya's Kitchen Mediterranean Couscous Fritters
Equipment recommendation:
Fish turner
Mine happens to be by Martha Stewart--Macy's carries her line of products.
The spatula's slanted edge makes it easy to get under delicate fish filets or patties such as these fritters. Since I am right-handed, I use the spatula to lift the patty with my right hand and as I turn the patty over, I use cooking chopsticks in my left hand to ease it into the oil so it doesn't splatter on me. I need to get one of the guys to take a photo next time!
Even with the simplest of the recipes, I had to substitute quite a few of the ingredients; feta cheese was replaced by a goat brie (the recipe called for a cup of feta, I did 3 oz. of the brie), the mint was replaced by green onions and the dried basil was replaced by dried marjoram. I doubled the recipe since I had quite a bit of couscous left.
It's a super easy recipe. I combined all the ingredients into a bowl and mixed them well.
While the oil was heating in the frying pan, I contemplated the consistency. Though the starchiness of the couscous and the eggs would likely create a good crust in the hot oil, the looseness of the mixture was still a concern to me. The image of individual, battered couscous grains floating around in hot oil was highly unpleasant. Oh, heck. I already cannibalized this recipe, what's a little more improvisation? I added about 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and was rewarded with a much more dependable texture.
I used a large spoon to scoop the batter into the oil and gently flattened them out a bit.
When they came out of the oil, I drained them on paper towels and then moved them to a rack so they could cool without getting soggy.
And, in my last rebellious touch, I put the merest whisper of Maldon sea salt flakes over the warm tops.
The outsides were golden and lightly crisped and the inside was fluffy with just a hint of the goat brie. A larger amount of the cheese would have been obnoxious.
The guys really enjoyed the twist on couscous and ate them separately and dunked into the shawarma stew. Though I didn't follow the recipe closely, I did use the ingredient proportions as guidelines. There's a lot of potential here; I'd like to try different cheeses and use regular couscous, too. A 5 turtle rating tonight!
Maya's Kitchen Mediterranean Couscous Fritters
Equipment recommendation:
Fish turner
Mine happens to be by Martha Stewart--Macy's carries her line of products.
The spatula's slanted edge makes it easy to get under delicate fish filets or patties such as these fritters. Since I am right-handed, I use the spatula to lift the patty with my right hand and as I turn the patty over, I use cooking chopsticks in my left hand to ease it into the oil so it doesn't splatter on me. I need to get one of the guys to take a photo next time!
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