Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [60]
Indonesian Corn Fritters
Galangal is a root that looks like ginger but has a sweet, perfumed taste. Find it fresh (the best choice), frozen, or powdered in Asian markets or gourmet food stores. The citrusy herb lemongrass can be grown from a store-bought stalk; place it in water on the windowsill until it sprouts before transferring it to a pot with soil. These rich fritters need a sweet, tangy sauce; if you don’t have time to make Tamarind Ketchup as the recipe calls for, use the simple Cilantro-Jalapeño Sauce, or whisk store-bought ketchup with honey, lime juice, and salt.
Makes approximately 15 fritters
1 stalk lemongrass, root and top half of stem removed
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon galangal, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 shallots, coarsely chopped
3 ears fresh corn, shucked
Salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup flour
Olive oil for frying
Tamarind Ketchup or a store-bought tamarind sauce
1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced for garnish
Bruise the lemongrass with the handle of a chef’s knife until the skin splits and the juice begins to seep out. Slice off the root and the papery top third of the stem and discard. Coarsely chop the lemongrass and place in the bowl of a food processor with the ginger, galangal, and shallots. Process until the fibrous lemongrass is completely broken down. You will need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl four or five times.
Cut the kernels from the corn. Add 1 cup of the corn kernels to the food processor and grind with the herbs to form a paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir in 4 teaspoons of salt and the rest of the corn kernels. Taste the batter and adjust the seasoning, then stir in the egg. Fold in the flour with a spatula. Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Set a wire rack over a baking sheet for draining the fritters. Heat a skillet and pour in ½ inch of oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, drop in several spoonfuls of the batter, about 2 tablespoons of batter at a time, and fry for 1 minute. Flip and continue frying until golden, about 1 minute more.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the rack. Season with salt.
Serve the fritters immediately with ketchup and garnish with the scallion greens.
Puntarelles with Anchovy Dressing
Puntarelles (see image at end of recipe) are a bitter green used in Italian cuisine, particularly in Rome, where they are served with a dressing of anchovies, garlic, and olive oil. Before eating, soak the puntarelles in ice water for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. The longer they soak, the more the bitterness mellows, and the stems become crisp and curly. The strong flavors of the anchovies and garlic, along with the fat from the olive oil, evoke a surprising sweetness from the puntarelles. The overall flavor is similar to that of a Caesar salad, but with a deep, earthy note from the dark greens. Try this salad with the Tortilla Española for a beautiful summer meal with Mediterranean flavors.
Serves 4
1 bunch puntarelles
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 anchovy fillets
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the stems off the puntarelles and set the leaves aside. Slice the stems thinly lengthwise and place them in a bowl of ice water. Gently agitate the stems to remove any dirt and set them aside. Slice the leaves crosswise into strips ½ inch wide. Add them to the ice water with the stems, agitate, and set aside in the refrigerator for 1 to 12 hours.
To make the dressing, place the garlic and anchovies in a mortar and grind them with a pestle until they are broken down into a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and add the lemon zest and juice, olive oil, mustard, and a dash of salt. Whisk to