The Spanish tapas menu contains a number of deep-fried fritters, usually little morsels of meat or vegetables, mixed into a choux pastry dough and deep-fried. For this dish the Spanish use a firm goats’ milk cheese, but halloumi works very well, as it softens, but does not melt.
corn-chorizo-fritters-054

Choux pastry dough

1 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2t salt
110g flour
2 eggs


Filling

±200g) hot smoked chourizo sausage, cubed to ±1cm
±200g halloumi, cubed to ±1cm, same as chourizo

Oil for deep-frying

Choux pastry dough

  1. Combine the water, butter, nutmeg and salt in a small high-sided saucepan. Bring to the boil.
  2. Once the butter has melted and the water is boiling briskly, add the flour, all at once and stir with a wooden spoon over a high heat, until the dough leaves the side of the pan, to form a ball. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
  3. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add eggs one at a time, beating vigorously as each is added – the dough may separate, but will re-form as you continue to beat.

Filling

  1. Fold the chourizo and cheese into the choux pastry and mix well.
  2. Heat the oil for deep-frying to 190°C, drop a few fritters into the oil (do not overcrowd the pan), turn continually until they are puffed and golden. Drain on paper towels, and keep warm in a pre-heated low oven. Serve immediately.

Makes ±24.

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking school runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studios. Cooking lessons are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cookery classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.