It’s almost that time of year when we are besieged by green vegetables. After a few years off planting in my little kitchen garden, I’ve taken an almighty leap and sown all my veggie beds. Many are still tiny shoots but I eagerly anticipate harvesting courgettes, carrots, beetroot, kale, Swiss chard and peas. Assuming (the pigeons and slugs haven’t feasted on them first!) I’ll have garden glut, I’m thinking ahead and developing a few recipes to utilise all my lovely greens!

Pea and dill cakes with beetroot yogurt; This is a riff on Ottolenghi and Tara Wigley’s recipe from ‘Simple’ I adore the pea, za’atar and feta fritters, they are so tasty and brilliant to feed a crowd. I’ve put a Scandinavian slant on this version with the addition of dill, lemon and served with a beetroot yogurt.

Print Recipe

Pea and Dill Cakes with Beetroot Yogurt

Prep Time1 5

Cook Time25

Total Time1 30

Course: Lunch/Dinner

Cuisine: Scandinavian

Servings: 18 Cakes

Ingredients

400 g Peas frozen
3 large Eggs beaten
1 Lemon zest of
4 Spring onions white part only, finely chopped
125 g Self raising flour
4 tbls Dill chopped
2 tbls Flat leaf parsley chopped
80 g Ricotta cheese
100 g Feta cheese

Beetroot Yogurt

150 g Greek yoghurt full fat
1 medium Beetroot you will need 50g puree

Dill oil

50 ml Extra virgin Rapeseed oil
1 Dill small bunch

To garnish

Dill fronds and dill oil

Instructions

Begin by rinsing the beetroot in cold water. Place it in a saucepan and cover with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Remove from the pan and leave to cool for about 5-10 minutes. In gloved hands, gently rub away the skin from the cooked beetroot, this should be very easily. Place in a food processor and blitz to a purée. Set to one side.
Place the frozen peas in a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 seconds drain and run them under cold tap. Tip the cooked peas into food processor and pulse a few times (don’t over blend, you want some texture)
Tip the blended peas into a large bowl, now add the ricotta, eggs, chopped herbs, chopped spring onions, lemon zest and season well. Stir to combine. Finally add the crumbled feta, taking care not to break it up too much as it’s nice to find chucks of cheese in the cakes.
Heat a frying pan heat to medium with a little sunflower oil and a knob of butter. Place approximately a tablespoon of the mixture into the pan shaping it into a round, (I used a metal cookie cutter to help with this) repeat with the remaining mixture but don’t over crowd the pan. Fry on each side for roughly 2 minutes.
Blend the Greek yogurt and beetroot purée and season with salt and pepper.
In a small saucepan half fill with water and add a sprinkling of salt. Bring to the boil and place the bunch of dill in the water, immediately drain and rinse under cold water. Dry really well in kitchen paper. Place in a small blender and blitz with the oil. Place in a sieve lined with a muslin to strain. Discard the dill and pour the dill oil into a small jam jar. It will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.
I like to gently warm the cakes through on 170C for 8-10 minutes. Serve wth the beetroot yogurt, dill fronds and dill oil if using.

Notes

Can be prepared ahead and heated through.
They can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Subsitute the self-raising flour with plain and add a teaspoon of baking powder.

Pea & Dill Cakes with Beetroot Yogurt