leek fritters

Recipe from Rosa Bagdadli

 This is a Greek Passover dish.

“It’s not Passover without these fritters,” says Rosa Bagdadli. 

Rosa prepares this Greek dish which she learnt from her mother when they were re-united after World War Two. By then they had been separated for 9 years, and Rosa no longer spoke Greek. When they longed for meeting arrived, she could not talk to her mother. Rosa learnt the language along with the recipes. She has cooked her mother's Greek dishes ever since, first for her children and then her grandchildren, in her tiny kitchen, south of Tel Aviv in Israel. 

"These patties get gobbled up. Sometimes, I have to make a second batch because my grandchildren eat them just out of the pan," says Rosa.

It's so simple and delicious that it's also on the menu throughout the year. No one could wait for Passover to roll around to eat them again. 

Ingredients

•  3 large leeks, white part with only a little of the green
• 2 eggs
• Breadcrumbs / matza meal - 1/2 cup, though you may need more
• Salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon each

Method

1. Chop the leeks finely by hand. Rosa insists it doesn't work as well if you do it in the machine. Put in a pot, with water to cover. Boil for 20- 25 minutes. Remove and drain well. Your aim is to get rid of most of the liquid.
2.  Add the eggs, salt and pepper and mix.
3. Add breadcrumbs, till your mix is the consistency of dough. Stop there!  Don’t keep adding any more if you feel it’s dry enough.
4. Form small patties, fry in deep oil. Drain on paper napkins. Best warm, although they are also good the next day. If there are any left.