Lentil fritters are street food, the sort of thing one might buy in a friggitoria where they fry things up to order for passers by. They'll also be a very tasty snack or party food, and will work nicely as antipasti or in a platter of mixed fried foods. To serve 4:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2/3 pound (300 g, or 1 1/3 cups, drained) boiled lentils -- canned will be fine
- 1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (50 g) flour
- 1 cup (2.5 dl) warm milk
- Olive oil or the oil you prefer for frying
- Salt
Preparation:
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook over a gentle flame, stirring, until the flour mixture turns tan. Add the milk in a thin stream, stirring briskly to keep lumps from forming. As soon as the béchamel sauce has thickened, season it with a pinch of salt, remove it from the fire, and let it cool.
Combine the lentils and the béchamel, mixing well, and fry the mixture tablespoon by tablespoon in the hot oil until golden. Drain the fritters on absorbent paper, dust them with sea salt if you want, and serve at once.
Yield: 4 servings lentil fritters.
Combine the lentils and the béchamel, mixing well, and fry the mixture tablespoon by tablespoon in the hot oil until golden. Drain the fritters on absorbent paper, dust them with sea salt if you want, and serve at once.
Yield: 4 servings lentil fritters.
