Onion Fritters with Semolina

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Ready to make onion fritters? The first time around, I'd suggest not making too many — it's a distinctive dish. This amount of ingredients gave me 8 small fritters. Use white or yellow onions. The tomato paste is mainly there for color; you can swap in ketchup.

2. Step 2:

   

   Peel the onions and trim off both ends. When I'm peeling a lot of onions, I usually put on sunglasses — it looks a little odd, but it keeps the eyes from watering!

3. Step 3:

   

   Chop the onion as finely as you can, rinsing the knife under cold running water now and then — that also helps with the tears. Better still, blitz the onion in a blender, so the fritters cook through inside.

4. Step 4:

   

   Put the onion in a bowl. Add the egg, tomato paste (or ketchup), and semolina. The mixture will take on a pleasant salmon-pink color right away.

5. Step 5:

   

   Season with salt and pepper and add the finely grated garlic. Stir and let it sit for 20 minutes at room temperature, so the semolina swells a little. If the onion has released too much juice, drain it off.

6. Step 6:

   

   Form the onion mixture into small fritters and fry them in sunflower oil on both sides until golden. You can add a splash of water and let them steam until done. The onion inside should turn soft, with no crunch left at all.

7. Step 7:

   

   You can drain the finished fritters on paper towels to blot off excess oil, but it's not essential.