Name: Shiitake mushroom, cheese and basil Titters
Yield: Serves 6–8 as a first course
Ingredients: 200 g firm cheese (try halloumi, feta, Cheddar or Emmental), cut into small dice; vegetable oil, for deep-frying; 70 g flour; 100 g polenta; ⅔ teaspoon fine salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ⅓ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon sugar; ½ tablespoon ground roasted coriander seeds; 350 g thick plain yoghurt; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 egg; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated; 2 spring onions, thinly sliced; large handful of basil leaves, coarsely shredded; 12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced

Preparation info

Serves
6–8
as a first course

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Vegetables

By Peter Gordon

Published 2007

About

These fritters make a tasty starter served with a simple tangy salad – here I used rocket, raw shiitake mushrooms and radishes, tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. They are also great as a side dish, with a vegetable stew or curry as the starch component, and make a good canapé served with a dollop of pesto on top.

Ingredients

70 g flour
100 g polenta
⅔ teaspoon

Method

Sift the flour, polenta, salt, baking powder and soda, sugar and coriander seeds together.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, 4 tablespoons of cold water, the olive oil, egg and garlic. Mix in the spring onions, basil, mushrooms and cheese, then mix in the polenta mixture. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.

Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer