serves
6
prep
35 minutes
cook
55 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
6
people
preparation
35
minutes
cooking
55
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower, trimmed (about 1.8 kg)
- 100 ml olive oil
- 330 ml (1⅓ cup) water
- 1½ tsp salt
- 145 g softened unsalted butter, chopped
- 185 g (1⅓ cups) plain flour
- 8 eggs
- 12 anchovies, finely chopped
- 1½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1.5 litres (6 cups) vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Trim the base of the cauliflower then cut the cauliflower, through the stalks, into pieces about 4 cm across and about 1 cm thick (including some of the stalk in each piece helps the cauliflower stay together). Place in a single layer in a large baking tray then drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 35 minutes or until just tender. Remove from the oven and cool; reduce oven to 120ºC.
To make the batter, combine the water, salt and butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Immediately it comes to the boil and working quickly, add the flour, all at once. Stir vigorously until then mixture is thick and smooth then continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until the mixture forms a ball that pulls away from the side of the pan. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl then, using electric beaters, beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition; the mixture should be smooth before adding the next egg. Beat in the finely chopped anchovies and black pepper.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan to 160ºC or until a cube of bread turns golden in 30 seconds. Working in 3 batches, dip the cauliflower in the batter, turning it to coat and gently scraping off any excess batter. Don’t worry if small parts of the cauliflower pieces are not completely covered. Fry for about 6 minutes, turning once, or until deep golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a baking tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. Place in the oven to keep warm while remaining fritters cook. Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing.
Photography, styling and food preparation by china squirrel.
This recipe is part of our . View previous .
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
