Courgette and dill fritters (ijjeh bil koussa wel shoumar) recipe

When I go on hiking trips, I always scan the surroundings for edible plants, said Hisham Assaad. The mountains around Beirut are filled with a wide variety of fantastic edible greens, such as za’atar (wild thyme), wild garlic, sour sob and many others. Dill weed, with its anise aroma and flavour, is particularly common in the hills and always reminds me of these delicious fritters, which my neighbour used to make from the bunches of wild dill she would collect.

Ingredients

• 450g courgettes, grated
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 60g fresh dill, chopped, plus a few sprigs to garnish
• 50g spring onions, finely sliced
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp allspice
• 80g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• olive oil, for frying
  
  To serve:
• pita breads
• labneh (a Middle Eastern yogurt cheese)
• cucumber and yoghurt salad

Method

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• Place the grated courgettes in a colander, sprinkle with the salt and set over a bowl or in the sink for 10 minutes to drain off any excess water.
• Put the dill and spring onions into a large bowl and crack in the eggs. Add the allspice and flour and mix to combine well.
• Press as much liquid out of the courgettes as possible and transfer to the egg mixture. Mix well. Just before frying, mix in the baking powder.
• Cook the fritters in batches. Heat a little olive oil in a wide frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat. Scoop 1⁄4-cup rounds of the fritter mixture into the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until slightly browned on the bottom, then carefully flip and cook for a further 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.
• You can place the cooked fritters in a warm oven to keep hot until serving, if you like. Continue frying until all the mixture is used up.
• Serve the warm fritters with soft pita bread with a labneh and veggie dip, or yoghurt and cucumber salad, garnished with an extra touch of fresh dill.
• Chef's note: for a gluten-free version, you can replace the flour with cornflour (cornstarch).

Taken from Bayrūt, The Cookbook: Recipes from the heart of a Lebanese city kitchen by Hisham Assaad. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £23.99 visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.

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