Vegetable fritters, given a savory edge with a flavorsome farmhouse cheese, are just the job for a quick lunch. Cheap eating, too. Grate the carrots as finely or as coarsely as you like, but you can expect them to be more fragile in the pan when finely grated. A watercress salad, washed, dried, and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, would be refreshing and appropriate in every possible way.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 to 8, enough for 2 to 3

　　main-crop carrots – 11 ounces (325g)

　　a medium onion

　　a clove of garlic, crushed

　　heavy cream – 2/3 cup (150ml)

　　an egg, beaten

　　grated cheese, such as a good strong Cheddar – 3 heaping tablespoons

　　cilantro leaves – a handful, coarsely chopped

　　all-purpose flour – a heaping tablespoon

　　olive oil for shallow-frying

　　

Step 1

Scrub the carrots and push them through a food processor fitted with a grater attachment. If you prefer, grate them by hand using the coarse side of the grater. Either way, you are after long, thin shreds rather than mush. Transfer them to a bowl.

　　

Step 2

Peel the onion, finely slice or grate it, and stir it into the carrots along with the garlic and a seasoning of salt and black pepper. Stir in the heavy cream, beaten egg, grated cheese, coarsely chopped cilantro, and the flour.

　　

Step 3

Warm a shallow layer of olive oil in a nonstick frying pan. Drop large dollops of the mixture into the pan, a couple at a time, and fry until lightly cooked on the bottom. Turn with a spatula and let the other side color. They should take three or four minutes per side. The cakes are ready as soon as they are dark gold. Remove to a warm plate. A sheet of paper towel will remove any oil. Eat immediately.

　　Tender