Blue cheese, beetroot and almond patties

When I went to Sydney during the summer holidays, I had a wonderful blue cheese at the Tea Cosy cafe.  I go on and off blue cheese.  This experience filled me with bravery.  I bought some blue cheese but it just was too strong for me.  Pairing it with sweet yellow beetroots seemed like a way to get through it.  These fritters were the outcome and great for dinner during a heatwave.

As I have mentioned, I didn't do much cooking during the summer holidays.  It was too hot or too busy.  I have found that fritters are easy to make and pair with a salad when it is too hot to spend much time in the ktichen.

The fritters were a very pleasing yellow thanks to some yellow beetroot I bought at the farmers market.  The perfect colour for when the sun is shining brightly outside.  It is one of those odd things about a heatwave.  The sunshine is just too bright and hot and yet it feels wrong to totally darken the room.  At this time of year, I need light in a way I don't crave it in winter!

Once fried they were a little less yellow but still quite cheery.  I sampled one or two as they came off the fry pan and really enjoyed them with some tomato sauce.  I could still taste the blue cheese but it was easier to eat this way.

I made some easy coleslaw and put together a few vegetables and that was dinner.  With the air-con going and some ice water, we managed to weather the heat wave quite nicely.  In fact I shouldn't complain too much as we haven't had too many ridiculously hot days of summer.  However it seems summer is going out with a bang with a week ahead of days over 30 C with next Saturday forecast to be 38 C.  Might be time for more fritters and salad.

More blue cheese recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Celery and blue cheese soup (gf)
Cobb salad with smoked nuts and blue cheese (gf)
Eccles cakes with leeks, spinach and blue cheese (v)
Leek, walnut and blue cheese scones  
Macaroni cheese with sauerkraut, cauliflower and blue cheese (v)
Orange, walnut and blue cheese salad (gf) 
Stilton nut roast 

Blue cheese, beetroot and almond patties
An original Green Gourmet Giraffe recipe
Serves 3-4

3 medium beetroot, peeled and grated
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 generous cup of cooked brown rice
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
50g blue cheese, crumbled
1 egg
salt and pepper
oil for frying (I used rice bran oil)

Heat a large nonstick frypan.  Add grated beetroot and chopped celery and about half a cup of water into the frypan.  Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Check if cooked and then if not, add another 1/2 cup of water and cook another 5 minutes.  After 10 minutes I found it was cooked.  Remove frypan from the heat.

Mix vegetables, brown rice, ground almonds, chopped almonds and blue cheese in a medium large mixing bowl.  Season.  Stir in egg.

Wipe out frypan and then reheat to medium high.  Add about 2 tbsp of oil to generously cover base of pan.  Take handfuls of mixture and shape into patties.  Place in the oil and fry until golden brown on each side (better a bit overcooked than undercooked).  Drain on paper towel.

On the stereo:
Classically Chilled: Various Artists