If I were really cute and fancy, I’d make these with fried quail eggs and microgreens for an early morning soirée. Turns out I’m neither of those two things, so I make the fritters in big batches and then freeze the leftovers to repurpose when I need something to hold down an all-vegetable meal. They also work well fried and then cut into smaller pieces and used in place of croutons in a salad. The pickles add brightness and a subtle, can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-that-flavor tang, but can of course be left out if you don’t have any on hand.
Note: If the fritters are made well in advance (or pulled from the freezer), they can be reheated by toasting in either a dry frying pan or a hot oven.
4 servings
- Line a baking sheet with a rack or paper towels.
- In a food processor, blend the soaked peas, onion, garlic, pickle spears, herbs, spices, and salt into a coarse but even paste.
- Heat 1 in [2.5 cm] of neutral oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Scoop ¼ cup [34 g] of the paste into the hot oil and then flatten into a pancake by pressing with the back of a spoon. Repeat to fill the pan. Brown one side, about 4 minutes, and then flip and brown the other. Let drain on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with any uncooked mixture.
- Whisk together the yogurt, balsamic vinegar, and smoked salt.
- Discard the oil from the frying pan (be careful, as it is probably still hot), wipe clean, and heat a glug of neutral oil over high heat. Add the greens with a pinch of salt and toss to coat in the hot oil. Push the greens to the sides to make a little nest. Crack the egg into the center of the nest, then season with salt and pepper.
- Add the white wine (it will spit and sputter) and cover with a lid to steam the egg with the evaporating wine.
- When the egg is cooked to your liking, scoop the greens and nested egg, place on top of a fritter, drizzle with the smoked yogurt, and serve.
Reprinted from Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes by Abra Berens with permission by Chronicle Books, 2021. Photographs © EE Berger.