Tomato fritters from Crete

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 m.-large onion(s), red
• 5 m.-large tomato(s), aromatic, organic quality, preferably vine tomatoes
• 250 g goat cheese or sheep cheese, not cow’s milk imitation
• 3 garlic cloves
• n. B. Thyme, fresh
• e.g. mint, fresh
• 2 eggs, size L
• 4 tbsp, sifted wheat flour type 405
• possibly capers, if you like them
• Fleur de Sel
• pepper
• Olive oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Grandma’s family recipe, purely vegetarian

Peel the onions and dice very finely. Score the tomatoes crosswise, pour boiling water over them, and let them stand for 5 minutes. Drain the tomatoes, pour cold water over them, and peel off the skins. Then peel and deseed the tomatoes and finely dice the flesh. Finely crumble the feta or goat cheese. Finely chop the garlic. Set aside the thyme and chopped mint leaves. Place all the prepared ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add the eggs and flour. Mix the ingredients gently, but don’t knead them into a mushy mess. The texture of the ingredients should be retained. Caper lovers now add the delicious flower buds; I use two tablespoons. Season the dough with fleur de sel and pepper. Form the mixture into fritters and bake them crispy in plenty of olive oil at a moderate temperature. Watch the temperature: olive oil is only stable up to 180°C. If it smokes, remove the pan from the heat and lower the heat. Otherwise, the olive oil will become bitter. Alternatively, you can use olive oil specifically designed for frying; it can be heated to a higher temperature.