Ingredients
350g cauliflower, stalks removed
100g plain flour
Sea-salt flakes
4 free-range eggs, beaten
200g manchego cheese, half finely grated, half diced into 1cm cubes
3 green shallots, finely sliced
4 Tbsp roughly chopped parsley
2 lemons, zested, then cut into wedges to serve
Olive oil, for frying
Romesco relish
1 Tbsp olive oil
50g whole blanched almonds, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
250g tomatoes, diced
50g brown sugar
50ml red wine vinegar
3 whole roasted peppers, from a jar
Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Method
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To make romesco relish, heat oil in a medium frying pan on medium, add almonds and garlic and gently fry until they start to turn golden. Stir in chilli, cook for 1 minute, then add tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Simmer for 15 minutes until tomatoes are softened and sticky. Remove any seeds from peppers, dice, then stir into tomato mixture. Season and leave at room temperature.
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Bring a large saucepan of water to boil on high. Chop cauliflower into a mix of very small florets and finely chopped. Add to pan, boil for 3 minutes, drain. Tip back into pan, stir over low heat for 3 minutes.
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Put flour and a good amount of salt in a mixing bowl. Gradually mix in eggs to make a smooth batter. Stir in grated and diced cheese, green shallots, parsley and lemon zest, then very gently fold through cooked cauliflower.
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Preheat oven to 130 degrees C fan-forced (150 degrees C conventional) to keep fritters warm. Heat a drizzle of oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium, then add spoonfuls of the mixture to make roughly 5cm round fritters. Fry for 3-5 minutes until golden underneath and the batter looks just set on top. Flip over and press down with an egg slice to squash any big cauliflower bits. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until golden, then keep warm on an oven tray while you fry the rest. Scatter with a little more salt, and serve with lemon wedges and the romesco relish for dipping.
