Adapted by Doug and Anne Brown from “How To Cook Everything,” by Mark Bittman. Serves 4.
Ingredients
Vegetable oil as needed
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup milk, plus more if needed
1 egg
2 cups freshly scraped corn kernels
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup of your favorite basil pesto — freshly made or store bought
Directions
Place vegetable oil, to a depth of at least 3 inches, in a deep saucepan over medium- high heat. Let it heat while you prepare the fritters; it should reach a temperature of about 365 degrees. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat milk and egg, pour them into the dry ingredients, adding a few tablespoons more milk if necessary to make a thick but smooth batter. Stir in corn, bell pepper and fresh basil.
Drop fritters by the quarter-cup or large spoonful into the hot oil. Raise heat to maintain a consistent 365 degrees. Cook fritters in batches, turning once, until nicely browned on all sides, a total of about 4-5 minutes per batch. Drain fritters, and eat them as they are done, or keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve.
Serve fritters with your favorite basil pesto sauce or freshly chopped tomatoes.
Wine ideas: Deep-fried food calls for high-acid wine — and if it’s bubbly, all the better. Look to Spain, where they excel in deep-fried foods, for Cava. Marques de Gelida, Segura Viudas Reserva and Sumarroca all make great examples for $15 or less. — Tara Q. Thomas
