Eggplant fritters with parmesan & wheatberry salad

With all good intentions, (and usually after flicking through healthy cookbooks), I inevitably find myself stocking up on some ingredients I'm never too sure how to cook. Farro, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, wheat berries and wild rice sound like things we should be embracing and all seem to be fairly fashionable in the world of grains right now, (I have several bags of them gathering dust in the cupboard). My nutritionist friend also stocks up, buying armfuls of the stuff, but unlike me, she actually sets about researching and cooking with them immediately.

I guess the problem is that a lot of people, myself included, are slightly afraid of health foods. Troubled by memories of chewy, tasteless tofu, grains that taste too earthy and bland and dense, gritty bread that sticks in your teeth. However, the reality of health food recipes today never fail to delight. Fresh herbs, fruity juices and textures that contrast add much to the dreaded lentil soups of earlier days that I remember. One of my friend's winners is shown below, a salad bursting with the juices of interesting berries, fruits and parsley, all mixed together with the chewy wheat berries. It's a classic example of hearing 'wheat berry salad' and thinking oh, that sounds nice, (sarcasm is hard to portray in written words), but then eating one spoonful and having a 'Wow, that is good' moment.

But before I give you the recipe for that little beauty, first we have another offering: eggplant fritters. I know what you're thinking because I thought the same, but let me tell you I was ashamed of my doubt when I took my first bite of creamy, silky interior and extra crispy coating. Basically a kind of baba ghanoush (or babushka as my friend calls it), encased in a browned, crispy breadcrumb exterior, they are moreish and wonderful.

Recipe : Sicilian eggplant fritters

From a recipe by Claire Marie Baker who tore it out of some book

• 2 eggplants
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 10 leaves fresh basil, torn
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup/125g fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 cups/500ml olive oil for frying

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas 6.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and place them on a baking sheet

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tender and golden brown. Let cool and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, mashing it coarsely with a fork.

Mix the eggplant, parsley, basil, garlic, Parmesan, eggs, salt and pepper and enough bread crumbs to make a firm mixture. Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Roll in the bread crumbs.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan until very hot and fry in small batches for 5-7 mins, or until golden brown all over.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Serve immediately. 

Although none is specified, the most obvious dipping sauce for this would be hummus, but another option would be something slightly sharp and acidic to cut across the creamy richness, maybe a few drops of hot sauce or a tomato and chili chutney. Either way, they are delicious, as was the salad and so very good for us too, which is always a bonus, even if it does sometimes strike culinary fear into the heart and taste buds. 

Recipe: Mixed fruit and almond wheat berry salad

From Michelle Langton who nicked it from Priscilla 
This is a true 'health food' recipe as a trip to a health food shop or very well stocked market is required to get hold of the goji berries, golden berries and dried mulberries. The golden berries puff up once soaked and have an interesting sweet sour flavour. They are all considered superfoods and amongst the best things you can eat for health. 

1/2 cup wheat berries

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp Himalayan rock salt

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp dried goji berries
2 tbsp dried golden berries, soaked in water overnight
2 tbsp dried mulberries
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp whole almonds, soaked in water for a few hours
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tbsp blueberries

Bring a pan of water with 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar to the boil over medium heat and boil the wheat berries for 50 - 60 minutes until soft but still chewy. Drain and let them cool a little. 

Tip the berries into a large bowl and mix with the olive oil, Himalayan rock salt and apple cider vinegar. Add the dried fruits, apple and the soaked chopped almonds and let them settle for an hour or so to absorb the fruity juices.

Add the parsley, onion and  blueberries just before serving and mix well.

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