Like most people I don't worry about healthy eating at Christmas. Even the brussels sprouts don't escape being tossed in a pan with bacon (plus fat) and a fistful of butter, and every meal is an occasion. Come January, with the papers full of healthy eating plans and at least five new celebrity fitness videos on the shelf, it can be a shock to the system to suddenly revert back to cereal for breakfast, soup for lunch and simple suppers. So when I saw this Jamie Oliver recipe for fritters (or drop scones really) made out of cottage cheese I thought it was an elegant compromise between feast and fast. A take on the classic ricotta and honey often eaten for breakfast in Italy, these use only a little flour, are flavoured with citrus fruits and honey and barely need a wipe of oil as long as the pan you cook them in is very hot. Jamie uses cherries for the fruit, but December having drained my purse I used some frozen blueberries warmed in a pan. The nuts give a little exotic twist and crunch at the end.
Cottage Cheese and Honey Fritters by Jamie Oliver (adapted)
Serves 4
- Toast 20g Blanched Almonds and 20g Pine Nuts (I used pistachios instead) in a dry pan until golden. Cool a little and then bash up in a pestle and mortar.
- Put 185, Cottage Cheese (or ricotta) into a mixing bowl, then add zest of ½ Lemon and ½ Orange, 2 large free-range Eggs, 1tsp Vanilla extract and 2 large tbsp Honey (or a little less of agave nectar).
- Whisk 125g self-raising Flour into the cheese mixture and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Put a large non-stick pan on a high heat and coat with a little oil and butter, wiping off any excess. Use a tablespoon to spoon the mixture into the pan. Turn the heat down slightly and let them fry until bubbles appear. Carefully turn over and cook for the same time on the other side.
- Put any berries (warmed or not) onto a plate and pile the fritters in the middle. Drizzle with more honey, sprinkle with the nut mixture and serve with a dollop of yogurt.
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