Pitaroudia Rodou

Ingredients

• 500g cooked chickpeas, drained (from about 250g dried)
• 2 onions, very finely chopped, about 250g
• 2 ripe tomatoes, grated, about 250g
• 25g mint, chopped
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 80g plain flour, plus a little extra
• 300ml olive oil, for frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Before you cook

• Chop the onions as finely as you can, since coarse pieces will make the fritters fall apart.
• Grate the tomatoes on the coarse side of a box grater and discard the skins.
• Chop the mint and parsley.

Steps

1. Pulse the cooked chickpeas in a food processor until they are coarse and mealy, stopping well before they become a paste.
2. Tip them into a large bowl.
3. Squeeze the grated tomato in your hand to shed some of its juice, then add it to the bowl.
4. Add the onion, mint, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper.
5. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly distributed.
6. Work in the flour a spoonful at a time, until the mixture just holds its shape when you squeeze a little in your fist.
7. Rest the mixture for 15 minutes so the flour hydrates.
8. Pour olive oil into a heavy frying pan to a depth of one centimetre and set it over medium-high heat.
9. Shape a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into a flat patty about 6cm across.
10. Slide it into the oil to test the heat, looking for a steady sizzle straight away.
11. Fry in batches for 3 minutes a side, until deep brown and crusted.
12. Drain the fritters on a wire rack rather than paper, so they stay crisp.
13. Serve hot with lemon wedges and a bowl of thick yogurt or tahini sauce.