Ricotta and Feta Fritters with Mint, Walnut and Yoghurt Dressing

This recipe came from my book of newspaper clippings I keep. I had a momentary lapse of reason and bought low-fat ricotta. Let this be a warning for the young players out there, go the full-fat ricotta as it actually has some taste. Low-fat ricotta is for weenies.

The basic proportions are:

350g ricotta
2 eggs
3 tbsp plain flour
100g crumbled fetta
cracked pepper

Combine the ingredients and pop it into the fridge for 20 minutes. Take 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time, shape it into a patty and dust it in some extra flour so it keeps its shape without sticking everywhere. Fry them for 2 minutes on each side. Then make a sauce with yoghurt, 1/4 clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and juice from half of a lemon. Top with toasted walnuts and shredded mint. Pretty tasty but I'll use real ricotta next time.

 

Potatoe Noodles with Black Fungus, Wakame and Kimchi

Korean potato noodles are a nice change from rice and egg noodles. It's a lot stickier but is great in combination with a good dash of sesame oil. After cooking, you might want to cut the noodles into shorter lengths so they are easier to handle. Otherwise, you'll never be able to mix in the other ingredients.

I cooked the noodles and black fungus together according to the packed. After cooking, rinse the noodles two or three times in cold water to remove the starch. I then pan friend some ginger and garlic with the carrots and spinach. The noodles went back into the pan to reheat. After taking this off the heat, I seasoned with soy sauce, two tablespoons of mirin and importantly, don't forget to add two tablespoons of sesame oil or so.

Wakame (seaweed) and kimchi goes well as a side dish.

 

Mushroom Bruschetta

You can use just about anything to make a bruschetta. Branch out and try something beyond the usual tomato-based toppings for a pleasant change. This time I just used some white mushrooms and parsley. The white mushrooms were pretty tasteless so I'd try swiss brown next time or if you're lucky, some more difficult to find varieties in Australia such as chanterelle or porcini. In Switzerland I could easily get six different types of mushrooms beyond the white and brown ones. Oh well.