The Potato Puffer is a very popular dish in Germany, often served with Apple Sauce. This is a more summery, colourful and flavourful version of the classical dish! You will have more Parsley and Lovage Pesto than you will need, but it will keep in a glass coated with a thin layer of oil in the fridge for at least 10 days. Add it to Soups, Stews, Pasta dishes or Roasted Vegetables! I’ve used Chickpea Flour in the Puffers to make them gluten free, and for the flavour, but you could easily use Wheat or Spelt flour here.
Serves 3 – 4
Kohlrabi and Carrot Puffer
Ingredients
For the Puffers
360 g Kohlrabi, peeled weight
300 g Carrots, peeled weight
40 g Chickpea Flour, Gram Flour
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Coriander Seeds
1/2 Tsp Salt, plus more to taste
Nutmeg and Black Pepper
Sunflower Oil to fry
For the Lovage and Parsley Pesto – Yoghurt
45 g Sunflower Seeds
30 g Flat Leaf Parsley
6 g Lovage Leaves, (handful)
70 g Olive Oil
45 g Sunflower Oil
A squeeze of Lemon Juice
1/2 Tsp Salt, plus more to taste
3 Tbsp Natural Joghurt
Method
First make the Parsley and Lovage Oil. In a small blender add the Sunflower seeds and grind until they are fine. Roughly chop all the Leaves and then add them to the blender along with the Oils and Salt. Blend until it is fine and creamy. Season with more Salt if desired, and a squeeze of Lemon Juice.
Preheat the oven to 170° C. Prepare a baking tray with baking paper. Peel and grate the Kohlrabi and Carrots and put into a large bowl. In a dry frying pan gently heat the Coriander Seeds until you can smell their light citrusy aroma. Using a pestle and mortar and a good pinch of Salt, grind the Seeds until they are a fine powder. Add the Coriander Powder, the Eggs, Chickpea Flour, the Salt, a good grating of Nutmeg, and freshly ground Black Pepper and mix well together. Heat up a large frying Pan, once it’s hot add in enough Sunflower Oil so that the base is coated. Reduce the heat to medium. Take a small handful of the mixture squeeze out any excess liquid, press together and make a pattie shape. Place the pattie carefully in the Oil. Repeat until the pan is full but you still have space to turn them over. Push down slightly on the patties with the back of a spatula. Once the bottom side has turned golden brown turn the patties over. As soon as the second side is golden brown remove the patties on to the baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Once all the Puffers are on the baking tray, place them in the oven for about 10 – 15 minutes, depending on how thick they are. They need to be cooked through. If you are not sure, just cut a thin slice off one of them to try.
In a small bowl add the Yoghurt, plus 2 – 3 Tsp of the Parsley-Lovage Pesto. Swirl around with a spoon to give a lovely marble effect. Check for seasoning and serve with the Puffers and the lovely Green Beans which follow.
Green Beans, Corn and Tomato with Basil Pesto
Ingredients
400 g French Beans
A pinch of Baking Soda
2 Corn on the Cobs
1 Large Tomato
6 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Tbsp Basil Pesto (homemade is obviously best ;-))
Method
Place a large pot of water on to boil. Cut off the stalks from the Green Beans. Cut a thin slice away from the bottom of each cob to give you a flat and even surface. Separate the Corn from the cob by standing the cob on a chopping board and using a sharp knife slice from top to bottom removing the Corn nuggets from the cob. The flat surface will keep your cob steady! When the water starts to boil, add in 1 Tsp Salt and then the Corn nuggets. Blanch for 2 minutes, then remove the Corn and place in a bowl of cold water. Once cool leave them to drain in a sieve. Prepare a bowl with cold water and ice cubes, if you have them to hand. Put a good pinch of Baking Soda into the boiling water, and a lot more Salt. Taste the water, you should be able to taste the Salt! Add in the Green Beans and cook for about 5 Minutes, or until they are tender, but still have a little bite to them. Remove the Beans from the pot and place into the ice cold water. This will stop them from cooking further and the ice cold will help preserve their green colour, as does the baking soda in the boiling water. Drain the Beans once they are cold, and put to one side.
Chop the Tomato into wedges. Heat a large frying pan, add 3 Tbsp Olive Oil, and then the Tomatoes, sprinkle with a little salt and gently heat. Then add the Green Beans and Sweetcorn so that they heat up again. Once warm add in the Basil Pesto, and a few Tbsp more of Olive Oil if it’s looking too dry. Check for seasoning and serve with the Puffers. Enjoy!!
If you made this recipe, or even used it as a base for the your own variation, let me know in the comments below!
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