Trending Tomato Recipes: Greek-Style

Tomato Fritters

Or Tomatokeftedes

Tomato recipes dominate all of Europe, especially the sunny countries like Greece, where the Mediterranean diet is the norm, with plenty of tomatoes across dishes. Meet the Greek tomatokeftedes, which are tomato fritters, especially associated with the island of Santorini, whose small, intensely sweet tomatoes are considered the gold standard for the dish. This fritter just uses ripe tomatoes, onion, fresh herbs and flour, mixed and fried until golden, just like the typical Indian paora recipe. When it comes to any tomato recipes out there, the same issue persists, which is that tomatoes release a lot of liquid once they're chopped and salted. That liquid needs somewhere to go before it hits the pan, or the batter turns watery, and the fritters fall apart in the oil. Salting the chopped tomato and letting it sit in a sieve or colander for 20 to 30 minutes draws out much of that excess moisture, which is what allows the batter to hold together with a relatively modest amount of flour rather than needing so much that the tomato flavour gets diluted. Fresh herbs are non-negotiable in any tomato recipe, especially a good tomatokeftedes; mint, basil, parsley and dried oregano are the classic combination, which goes really well with the richness of the feta cheese. If you want this fritter vegan, omit the feta cheese, although feta’s creamy pockets throughout the fritter are part of what makes the traditional version so good. An egg helps bind the fritter, while flour mixed with baking powder gives the fritters just enough lift and structure to hold their shape once they hit the hot oil, without turning it dense.