RICOTTA FRITTERS WITH ZUCCHINI SALAD

I'd forgotten how nice this recipe was. I haven't made it for quite a while. It is very tasty and healthy. I sometimes use a store bought pasta sauce if I don't have the time to make the tomato sauce. But make sure that it is a good one. It is from one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks.

INGREDIENTS

Tomato sauce
25g dried porcini mushrooms
4 anchovy fillets, optional
1 dried red chilli or chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
700g passata
a small handful of pitted black olives
1/2 bunch fresh basil

Ricotta fritters
1 large egg
400g ricotta cheese
good pinch of nutmeg
zest of 1 lemon
40g parmesan cheese
1 heaped Tbsp plain flour
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Zucchini salad
2 small zucchini (about 400g)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh red chilli
1/2 bunch fresh mint
juice of 1 lemon

METHOD:
Put the porcini in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for about 15 minutes.

Crack an egg into a mixing bowl, add the ricotta, a good pinch of nutmeg, the lemon zest, parmesan and the flour.

Beat together until everything is mixed well.

Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frypan and use a tablespoon to spoon in large dollops of the mixture.

Turn carefully when nice and golden. Repeat until all mixture has been used.

Keep warm.

Chop the olives, anchovies and drained porcini mushrooms. Reserve the soaking liquid.

Put 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a frypan. Add the anchovies and the crumbled dry chilli or chilli flakes and the garlic. Fry for about a minute or two and then add the porcini. Fry for about 2 minutes more.

Add the passata and half of the soaking liquid and season with pepper. Add salt if necessary.

Add the olives to the sauce and then the basil leaves, shredded. Pick and reserve a few leaves for garnish. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the sauce is cooked and thick.

Add the ricotta fritters to the sauce and cook until heated through. 

To make the salad, grate the zucchini and tip into a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper, the lemon juice and the extra virgin olive oil. Finely chop and add the chilli and the shredded mint leaves.

Toss together.

Scatter the reserved basil leaves on top of the fritters and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Serve the fritters with the zucchini salad.

Serves 4 (408 calories)