Grated Rainbow Salad and Feta Fritters

At the start of the year my husband’s trainer challenged him to go meat free for 30 days. This was a real eye opener for me as I realised that meat is a staple on my plates and my remit of vegetarian recipes was and still is fairly limited. If I have vegetarian friends coming for dinner I would check out seasonal vegetarian recipes and be able to cook but my upbringing was a daily dose of meat and two veg and so this definitely took me out of my comfort zone but this recipe is one that I like in the summer as it is nice and light.

What I love most about these fritters is the sesame brittle effect you get when you drizzle over the honey and letting them crisp up. And in the recipe from Jamie Oliver he prepares the couscous with water and then adds seasoning, I tend to make it with vegetable stock as it gives it a bit more flavour but have left it with water below. It’s strange, give me plain rice or pasta and I am a happy woman, but plain couscous just doesn’t do anything for me.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 mug couscous
• 2 Pitta breads
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1 Red onion
• 1 Large carrot
• 100g cooked or raw beetroot
• 100g feta cheese
• 1 Large egg
• 3 Tbsp Self-raising flour
• 1 Tbsp Sesame seeds
• Runny honey
• 2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 4 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tsp Dried oregano

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Pop the couscous into a bowl, just cover with boiling water, then pop a plate on top and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Slice the pittas 0.5cm thick, spread out on a large baking tray , drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake for around 10 minutes or until golden, crispy and crunchy.
3. Coarsely grate the cucumber on a box grater, then peel and grate the onion, carrot and beetroot, you might want to wear rubber gloves for the beetroot so you do not stain your hands red.
4. Mash the feta in a bowl with the egg, then mix in the flour and season lightly.
5. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat, add a lug of olive oil and drop in teaspoons of the mixture. Cook until golden on the bottom, then scatter over the sesame seeds, flip them over and then gently press down. Drizzle with honey and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes or until golden and sticky.
6. In a bowl, mix the vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper together. Fluff up the couscous, season to taste and tip on to a large platter, pile up the veg on top and drizzle over the dressing, then toss everything together. Scatter over the crispy pitta strips and arrange the sesame feta fritters on top.