Shiitake mushroom and cheese fritters with escalivada

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Peter Gordon's tasty cheese and mushroom fritter recipe can be made with most types of firm cheese depending on your preference, and makes an excellent vegetarian main meal. The fritters are served with escalivada, a Catalan vegetable dish that is best eaten a day or so after it has been made.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

For the fritters

Escalivada

To garnish

Equipment

  • Deep fat fryer
  • Chargrill pan

Method

1
To make the escalivada, grill the peppers, tomatoes and aubergine on a dry griddle pan until the skins blacken and blister and the flesh softens – ensure the aubergine in particular is very tender. Place in a bowl, cover tightly with cling film and leave to cool
2
In the same pan, cook the onions and spring onions over a high heat until the onions are charred and softened and the spring onions begin to blacken. Leave to cool, removing any badly blackened pieces while still warm
  • 2 red onions, sliced into 5mm rings
  • 6 spring onions, white parts only
3
Once the pepper, tomatoes and aubergine have cooled, remove the skins and stalks and slice in half. Remove the seeds from the peppers and cut into strips. Chop the tomatoes into chunks and combine in a bowl with the peppers. Squeeze the aubergine to remove any excess moisture, then thinly slice and add to the peppers and tomatoes
4
Combine the garlic with the lemon zest and juice and add to the vegetables. Slice the red and spring onions into smaller pieces and combine with the vegetables along with the olive oil and herbs. Season to taste and set aside until required
5
When ready to cook the fritters, preheat a deep-fryer or deep pan of oil to 180°C
6
Sift the polenta, flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sugar together into a bowl, then mix in the ground coriander seeds
7
Whisk together the yoghurt, olive oil, water, egg and garlic in a separate bowl. Mix in the spring onion, basil, mushrooms and cheese before combining with the flour mixture. Leave to rest for 10 minutes
8
Drop quenelles of the mixture into the hot oil in batches to avoid overcrowding. Cook for about 4 minutes, turning regularly to ensure they cook evenly. Remove the fritters from the fryer and leave to drain on kitchen paper in a warm place
9
Serve with the escalivada and garnish with the chives and pea shoots
First published in 2015

Decades on from the halcyon days of The Sugar Club, the 'King of Fusion', Peter Gordon still reigns supreme on the London dining scene.

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