Turkish-style mezze
- Prepare
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Dietary
- Nut-freeVegetarian
Crisp, herby courgette and feta fritters make a perfect pairing for a zingy, sour bulgur wheat salad. Serve with yoghurt and flatbreads for a complete meal.
Ingredients
For the fritters
- 500g/1lb 2oz courgettes, coarsely grated
- 1 onion, coarsely grated
- 10g/½oz dill, chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 free-range eggs
- 50g/1¾oz flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 150g/5½oz feta, crumbled
- 1 tbsp nigella seeds
- oil, for frying
- pinch salt
- honey, to serve
For the bulgur wheat salad
- 200g/7oz bulgur wheat
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 10g/½oz mint, chopped
- 10g/½oz parsley, chopped
- 10g/½oz dill, chopped
- 1 ripe beef tomato, finely chopped
- 3 roasted red peppers from a jar, chopped
- 3 green pickled chillies from a jar, chopped, plus extra to serve
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
- 2 tbsp golden raisins, soaked
- 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 flatbreads, to serve
- 200g/7oz yoghurt, to serve
- 100g/3½oz green pickled chillies
Method
To make the fritters, add the grated courgettes and onion to a bowl and season well with salt. Leave to sit for 30 minutes to draw out the moisture.
Transfer the mixture to a clean tea towel or muslin and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Place the strained vegetables into a mixing bowl with the dill, parsley, eggs, flour, baking powder, feta and nigella seeds and mix well.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
To make the bulgur wheat salad, toast the bulgur wheat in a dry frying pan until lightly coloured and fragrant.
Meanwhile, bring a lidded saucepan of water to the boil and stir through the bulgur wheat and harissa paste. Cook for 10-15 minutes, then cover with the lid and leave to absorb the remaining liquid.
Fluff the bulgur wheat with a fork, drizzle with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Stir through the mint, parsley, dill, tomato, roasted peppers, pickled chillies, cumin seeds, drained golden raisins and pomegranate seeds.
Finish with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and serve with the flatbreads, yoghurt, extra chillies and the warm fritters drizzled with a little honey alongside.
