Cauliflower & Ricotta Fritters with Radish Salad (fritters made with cauliflower & radish leaves)

I have been following the amazing Sarah Phillips on Instagram (@food) for a while now. Not too long ago she created another account called Ugly Produce is Beautiful (@uglyproduceisbeautiful), to create awareness of how much food is wasted. It is a great initiative to educate people of how you can actually use produce that is considered imperfect or not good for sale anymore. And parts of produce that you might not know are edible, like radish and cauliflower leaves.

In an effort to promote less food waste, I created this recipe. I roasted the cauliflower (florets plus stem) with spices and olive oil and then mixed it with the chopped cauliflower leaves, radish leaves, ricotta and Parmesan. I finally served the fritters with a simple radish salad. It makes a delicious vegetarian meal!

This recipe serves 3.

Ingredients:

For the fritters:

1 small cauliflower

¼ cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon of onion powder

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

½ teaspoon of celery salt

Cayenne to taste

Salt

Pepper

Radish leaves (from the bunch for the salad), finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

125gr of ricotta

60gr of grated Parmesan

1/3 cup of bread crumbs

1/3 cup of panko

1/3 cup of cornmeal

For the radish salad:

1 bunch of radishes, julienned (I used a mandoline)

1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped chives

For the dressing:

1/3 cup of olive oil

¼ cup of white vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon of honey

1 teaspoon of mustard

Salt

Extra:

Olive oil for pan-frying the fritters

Preheat your oven to 230C/446F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and finely chop them. Set them aside.

Finely chop the cauliflower, including the stem. Try not to leave any big chunks. Place the chopped cauliflower in a large bowl. Add ¼ cup of olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, celery salty, salt and pepper. Mix well and spread it over the prepared baking sheet. Place it in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, stirring half way through.

To make the dressing just place all of the ingredients in a jar, put the lid on and shake it. Set it aside.

Remove the cauliflower from the oven and allow it to cool down for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the chopped cauliflower leaves, chopped radish leaves, lemon zest, ricotta and parmesan. Mix well. Then add the cauliflower, panko, bread crumbs, cornmeal and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine and then add the eggs. Mix everything well.

Pour about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Grab about 2 tablespoons of the cauliflower mixture and shape it into a ball, place it in the pan and repeat for a few more. Flatten it a bit with the back of a spatula. Cook until brown on both sides. Repeat for the rest. It’s better to make the fritters small so they don’t break while flipping them.

Add some of the dressing to the julienned radishes and chives, mix well. Serve the fritters with the radish salad and extra dressing on the side.

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