Vegetarian Mediterranean recipes, including cauliflower fritters, pumpkin fritters, green minestrone soup and zucchini fritters

For Australian-Greek food writer and cookbook author Meni Valle, Mediterranean life is about sharing food and stories with the people you love.

The region’s cooking is hearty and driven by fresh, seasonal produce. The region is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, pulses, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, seeds and seafood, and its dishes are astonishingly complex and sophisticated.

“My love for good food lies in home cooking, especially Mediterranean cuisine,” Vallee writes in her new cookbook Mediterranean Chef. “This is the food of my childhood, the dishes I cook for my family, and the dishes I discover in my travels.”

Her latest collection of recipes includes tips for using leftovers, ideas for side dishes, and advice on how to pick the best produce. Here are four recipes to try at home.

Cauliflower Fritters with Yogurt Sauce

I often cook cauliflower in a salad, dressing it with olive oil and lemon juice. In this recipe, I use cauliflower in a different way, creating these aromatic fritters served with a refreshing yogurt sauce. You’ll notice that the fritters have a nice crunchy bite from the raw onions. This dish has become one of my favorite ways to celebrate this humble vegetable.

raw material

• 1 small head cauliflower (about 400 g), cut into florets
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 3 eggs
• 100 g (⅔ cup) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus extra leaves for later use
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 250 ml (1 cup) olive oil, for shallow frying
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Yogurt Sauce

• 300g Greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Zest of half a lemon, plus all the lemon juice

method

1. Place cauliflower in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for approx. 5-6 min., until tender. Drain cauliflower and place in a large bowl, breaking up with the back of a fork. Set aside to cool.
2. Make the yogurt sauce by whisking ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste.
3. In a large bowl, combine onion, garlic, eggs, flour, cumin, cinnamon, and parsley. Stir gently to combine and season with salt and pepper. Add cooled cauliflower and stir to combine.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. For each tortilla, scoop about 3 tablespoons of cauliflower mixture into the oil. Continue frying in batches, but don’t overfill the pan as this will lower the temperature of the oil.
5. Fry the dough sticks for about 3 minutes on each side, flattening them lightly with a spatula until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
6. Place the donuts on a plate, sprinkle with some parsley leaves and serve hot with the yogurt sauce and lemon wedges.

supply 4

Pumpkin Feta Pie

With earthy sweetness of pumpkin, spices, and plump raisins wrapped in a golden, crispy, flaky puff pastry, I could eat this delicious puff pastry pie any time of day. Don’t miss a drizzle of honey at the end—it pairs perfectly with the buttery puff pastry and savory filling. Alternatively, you can serve it with Greek-style yogurt.

raw material

• 800g pumpkin, cut into 2cm chunks
• 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 60g raisins
• 100 g Greek feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 50g butter
• 250g store-bought refrigerated puff pastry
• Honey, edible

method

1. Preheat oven to 200C (fan forced) (220C conventional).
2. Arrange the squash in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until soft and golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. Place pumpkin in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, feta, egg, and mint. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and add olive oil. Lightly brush a 24cm round baking dish or baking sheet with butter and oil mixture.
5. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry with the long side facing you and brush it with some butter and oil. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture over the puff pastry and, starting at the edge of the puff pastry closest to you, roll the puff pastry into a long strip and then roll it into a spiral. Place the spiral in the center of the baking sheet and continue to add the remaining puff pastry, most of the butter and oil mixture, and all of the filling, adding the spiral to the center spiral until you have a large spiral pie.
6. Brush the pie with the remaining butter and oil, sprinkle with a little water and bake for 30-40 minutes, until crisp and golden.
7. Drizzle with a little honey and serve warm.

supply 6-8

Green Vegetable Minestrone Soup

A classic Italian minestrone soup, but with a twist. Traditionally, minestrone is cooked in a rich tomato broth, but here I’ve kept it white, used lots of earthy winter vegetables and herbs, and topped it with Parmesan cheese. Not only is this minestrone soup nutritious and flavorful, it’s also perfect for using up any greens you might have sitting around in your crisper drawer. It’s easily adaptable to warmer seasons, too—just swap out the winter veggies for summer veggies, or swap out any of the veggies here for your favorites.

raw material

• 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 celery stalks, diced, add celery leaves to serve
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, washed and sliced
• 1 potato, chopped
• 1 x 400g can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 150 g macaroni or any small pasta
• 1 dried bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 155 g (1 cup) frozen peas
• A large handful of leafy greens, such as kale or collard greens, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch parsley, leaves picked
• Parmesan cheese slices, for serving

method

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add onion and sauté for approx. 3-4 min., until softened. Add garlic and sauté for 2 min., then add shallot, celery, leek and potato and sauté for a further 2 min.
2. Place beans in a pot and cover with 2 litres of cold water. Bring mixture to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente. Add bay leaf, oregano, peas and greens and cook for approx. 5-6 min., until greens are softened. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and top with parsley, celery leaves and some grated Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.

supply 4

Batzina (Crustless Zucchini Pancakes)

Batzina is a crustless zucchini pie from the Thessaly region in central Greece. People there usually slice the zucchini thinly so that it cooks quickly and stays crispy for hours. Farmers can easily bring zucchini to the fields, and children can take them to school. When zucchini is in season, it is a perfect summer dish or even breakfast. It is delicious with olives and pickles!

raw material

• 1 kg courgettes, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill leaves
• 3 eggs
• 350 g Greek feta cheese, crumbled
• 250 g (1 cup) Greek yogurt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 125g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan high (200°C conventional). Lightly grease a 25 x 35 cm baking tray.
2. Grate the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and use your hands to massage the zucchini and squeeze out any excess water. Let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Place the courgettes on a clean tea towel, squeeze out any excess water, and transfer to a clean bowl. Stir in the herbs, then add the eggs, feta, yogurt, lemon zest and olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
4. In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, then add this to the zucchini mixture and stir well until no flour remains. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Place the batzina in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden around the edges and set in the middle.
5. Allow batzina to cool, then slice and serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

supply 6

The following are edited excerpts Mediterranean Chef By Meni Valle. Published by Smith Street Books, $55. Photographs by Stephanie Stamatis and Hugh Davison. Buy it now