Wonderful!
I love cooked cheese, in practically any form. These are a distant cousin to the fried cheese (saganaki) that was served in the little local taverna in Athens that I used to frequent for lunch nearly fifty years ago(!) that was in the centre of the little park between our office and the Evvangelismos Hospital.
This particular recipe is taken, loosely, from one by Elisabeth Luard, and can be found both in her collection of Adalusian Recipes and in 'Saffron & Sunshine'. With a provenance like that, you can't go wrong.
The quantities EL gives, she says are sufficient for four people. Since they're so more-ish, though, I find that they're barely sufficient for two, as a starter. The quantities given here produce 8 to 10 generous fritters.
Ingredients:
3 eggs; 3 tbs milk; 150g grated parmesan (or grana); 3 tbs flour; 1 tbs finely chopped onion; 1 tbs chopped parsley; 1 tsp paprika; salt and pepper. Sunflower oil, for frying.
Method:
1. Beat the egss and the milk toegther, and then thoroughly incorporate the cheese.
2. Stir in the flour, until lump-free, and then add the onion, paprika, and parsley; season to taste.
3. In a heavy pan, heat a generous layer of oil until it is very hot. Add spoonfuls of the batter to the oil, and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. (I use a small metal ring of about 2 inches diameter, into which I spoon the batter while the ring sits on the hot oil, and I then remove the ring once the batter has 'seized', and I can progress to making the next fritter - I guess you could just spoon the batter into the oil in a more free-form way, but if you do you risk the batter running everywhere before the shape of the fritter has been captured).
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