Friday, November 11, 2011

Jamie's electro pea and broad bean fritters

I tell you what, I'm loving this digital reader caper!
Since we last spoke (ie. since I last blogged), I've gone crazeee! downloading books and magazines to read on the e-tablet.

I started by getting copies of books that I already have in hardcopy, that are great reads but a bit bulky, eg. Bill Bryson's Down Under, numerous Jilly Coopers. These are perfect on an e-reader.
Then there are the 'nostalgia' books, the ones I remember reading when younger and that still hold an allure, eg. Georgette Heyer, Mary Stewart, still thinking about getting the Trixie Belden series.
And the new books that I've held off buying till now because I didn't want more dead trees clogging up the house, eg. The Churchills by Mary Lovell (excellent gossipy biography) and the Agatha Raisin books (about a crime-solving, retired PR lady; just starting my first one and am really enjoying it).

Last, but definitely not least, there are the COOKBOOKS! Well, actually, I'm still hesitating over a lot of books, so I've only downloaded the free ones. Some are better than others when it comes to electronic reading. The Neil Perry Rockpool Bar and Grill book is a fine example of digital form, with embedded videos on how to prepare certain dishes. Others books, I found, look like they've just been scanned in and are nothing special. This may be due to them being free, but it will make me think twice about getting the e-version of them.

Ooh, and I mustn't forget the MAGAZINES! I've bought Super Food Ideas (only 99cents!), Gourmet Traveller, Martha Stewart Living, BBC Good Food, Donna Hay, MasterChef... and many more. My fave is Donna Hay because it has great recipes (naturally), the first issue is free, and it takes advantage of the digital format by having animations that make the food look extra beautiful.

This recipe is from the Jamie Oliver Recipes app - you get 10 recipes for free, then you can buy packs of additional 10. It's a bonus that the recipes have nice how-to pictures and you can even email a list of the ingredients to yourself.

Pea and Broad Bean Fritters
serves 2

Ingredients
85g frozen peas
85g frozen broad beans
1 egg
60ml milk
1 tsp baking powder
80g plain flour
salt and pepper
35g pecorino or parmesan cheese, grated
100g baby cherry or roma tomatoes
20g black olives
1 tblsp thyme leaves
50g mixed salad leaves

Method
1. Put the frozen peas and broad beans into a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water. Wait 30 seconds, then drain in a sieve. Peel (double-pod) the broad beans. Set aside.
2. For the batter: In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg, milk, baking powder, flour, salt and pepper until well combined.
3. Combine the drained peas and beans, together with the pecorino, into the batter. Mix well. 
4. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick frypan over medium heat. Cook fritters in batches by adding 2 tablespoons of the batter to the frypan. Don't let the fritters touch each other. Cook fritters for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer to a plate when cooked.
5. For tomato salad: Roughly chop the tomatoes and combine with the olives and thyme.
6. To serve, place some salad leaves on a plate and top with the fritters and tomato salad.

Preparing the fritters, with ipad instructor and Tabitha cat observer.

Chop some tomatoes and olives and thyme for accompaniment to the fritters.

For a rustic look, serve on a clean wooden board.

Very colourful and easy to make.

8 comments:

  1. I LOVE Bill Bryson's "Down Under", it is such a good read. Ooh Bel, you are making me very jealous with your new tablet! These fritters look so lovely and your photos are wonderful.

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  2. You're really making me miss fresh green veggies with this post! I'm so glad you're liking the digital reader...I haven't made the plunge to buy one yet but my ever-growing cookbook collection keeps pushing me to just do it!

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  3. Haha, I believe you have curbed your magazine and book-buying ways and have started up a new one in digital format!

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  4. I dunno, there's something about holding a book that is vital to my reading experience; but that's my opinion. I love this salad, the colours are amazing!

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  5. I LOVE my tablet/e-reader. I now hesitate to buy a hard copy of anything as I would rather wait until it becomes available elctronically. My small way of saving the forests. This recipe looks gorgeous for a light brunch. :D

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  6. What a delicious and easy to make recipe!

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  7. Forget saving the trees, ebooks are a way to save your wallet. Many Australia release books come in FAR more expensive than the Kindle versions.

    Jamie Apps: I recommend the 20-minute meals app, because it's one price and you get all the app's recipes in one go.

    As for on-ipad stuff, I find I tend to buy a lot, then forget they're there, as the physical copies of things I still have to read are reminders (plus there's always Twitter, blogs, emails to read on my iPad.)

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  8. Ack, didn't leave me name. That was Lucas, from http://CoverVersions.TV

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