Öcce By Özlem Warren

We are delighted to share with you a Spring Onion Fritters with Fresh Herbs recipe from Özlem Warren.

These delightful, herby fritters are a popular specialty, especially in the Gaziantep, Kilis and Hatay regions. Locals make them with lots of spring onions (scallions), herbs and fresh garlic, when in season. 

Özlem Warren is a Turkish food writer and a passionate cookery teacher. She frequently travels to teach Turkish cookery in the USA, Turkey, UK and Jordan. Her debut cookbook,”Özlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland”, was published in 2019 and won the 2020 Gourmand Best in the World Award in Food Heritage.

Ingredients 

6 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and finely chopped 

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

30 g (1 oz) fresh mint leaves, finely chopped 

130 g (4¼ oz) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (including stems) 

1 teaspoon pul biber or red pepper flakes 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

85 g (3 oz/⅔ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

55 g (2 oz) beyaz peynir or feta, crumbled (optional) 

3 medium eggs, beaten 

sea salt and freshly ground 

black pepper, to taste 

light olive oil or groundnut oil, for shallow frying 

Method

Place the spring onions, garlic, fresh mint, parsley, pul biber and cumin in a large bowl. Using your hands, combine the mixture well. Add the flour and  cheese (if using) and stir in the beaten eggs, then season with salt and pepper, and combine well into a batter. 

Heat enough oil to cover the base of a large non-stick frying pan (skillet) (about 25 cm/10 in in diameter) over a medium–high heat. Drop tablespoons of the batter mix into the hot oil, spoonful by spoonful, leaving space between each one. Shallow fry for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels. 

 Don't miss out on Ozlem's next Cookery class on 20th April - click here for more details.