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Torrejas de acelga
Swiss chard fritters
Torrejas de acelga: crisp pan-fried Swiss chard fritters with egg, garlic and grated cheese
When a bunch of acelga (Swiss chard) is the cheapest thing at the verdulería, Buenos Aires home cooks turn it into torrejas: thin fritters of chopped chard bound with egg, a little flour, garlic and grated cheese, fried in shallow oil until the edges lace up and crisp. They are weekday food, eaten hot from the pan with a squeeze of lemon and a salad, or cold the next day in a sandwich, and children who won't touch greens tend to eat them. Inside they stay tender and green, outside nutty and golden. Wet chard is what ruins them: water left in the leaves makes the batter thin and the fritters spit and fall apart, so wring the blanched chard really dry. Grated hard cheese is often made with animal rennet; pick a vegetarian hard cheese if needed. Chef's tip: fry one small torreja first to check the seasoning and thickness, then adjust with a spoon of flour or a splash of milk.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb Swiss chardleaves and tender stems
- 3 eggs
- 2 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 ⅜ oz grated hard cheesetraditionally made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) cheese
- 2 ⅛ oz plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup sunflower oilfor shallow frying
- 1 lemon (optional)cut into wedges
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Wash 1 ⅛ lb Swiss chard, then blanch it in boiling salted water until the leaves wilt and the stems bend.
3 minStep 2: Drain, cool under the cold tap and squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands, then chop finely.
Step 3: Beat 3 eggs in a bowl with 2 cloves garlic, 1 ⅜ oz grated hard cheese, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Stir in the chard, then 2 ⅛ oz plain flour, until you have a thick, spoonable batter.
Step 4: Heat ½ cup sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until a drop of batter sizzles straight away.
Step 5: Drop in heaped tablespoons of batter, flatten each to about 1 cm and fry until the underside is golden brown.
3 minStep 6: Turn and fry the other side until golden and the centre feels set when pressed. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the rest, adding a little oil if the pan looks dry.
3 minStep 7: Serve hot with lemon wedges, if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does torrejas de acelga take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 12 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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