A post for our dear friend Chicago John, who was sure
we had one more trombie post left in us this year…
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Remember our self-sown mutant tromboncino plant?
It’s now producing fruit which looks like a cross between a trombie and a butternut pumpkin. We’ve cut up the smaller one and it tastes just like a tromboncino – as you can imagine, I’m pretty chuffed to have them growing in the garden again…
As the plant is just starting to take off, I thought it might be a good idea to eat up some of the frozen stash we had from last season. The recipe for marrow omelettes in Abla’s Lebanese Kitchen sounded very appealing, and quite different from normal fritters (of which I’m not usually a fan). These were absolutely delicious – the addition of parsley, mint and allspice gave them an exotic flavour which everyone found very moreish.
Here’s my take on the recipe:
- 1kg grated tromboncino pulp (the original recipe used 750g grated Lebanese zucchini)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped continental parsley (flat leaf)
- ½ cup chopped mint
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- several grinds of black pepper
- ½ teaspoon pimento (allspice)
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 110g (¾ cup) self-raising flour
- 4 large (59g) free-range eggs
- 180ml (¾ cup) light olive oil, for frying
1. Squeeze the pulp firmly to remove as much liquid as possible. My grated trombie had been frozen and then defrosted, so I was able to squeeze quite a lot of liquid out. Place the well-drained pulp a large mixing bowl with the onion, parsley, mint, salt, pepper, pimento and chilli. Add the flour and stir well to combine.
2. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, then add them to the other ingredients and mix well to combine.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat, then drop in a tablespoon of the mixture, flattening it out with the back of a spatula. Fry a few fritters at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes per side), then drain on a paper towel. We served ours with a little yoghurt on the side.
These fritters are delicious hot or at room temperature. They’re a wonderful vegetarian main dish, but equally as good on top of a slice of sourdough the following day. They keep well in the fridge for a couple of days.
Hope you’re all having a fabulous festive season! x
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Previous Trombie Recipes:
- Tromboncino Bhajis
- Tromboncino Soup
- Assorted Trombie Recipes
(savoury slice, laksa, lasagne and chocolate cake) - Tromboncino Stir-Fry (yellow bean paste)
- Garden Ratatouille
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 