By: Chef Laura Bonicelli
Sweet Pea Feta Cakes have a beautiful bright green color and a delicious fresh herb and pea flavor. They are perfectly paired with the tangy and cool lemon and cilantro yogurt sauce. Buy your ingredients at your favorite Farmers Market!
About Sweet Pea Feta Cakes with Yogurt Sauce
I happily sing praise to organic frozen peas. I keep a huge bag in my freezer. They work their way into my salads, pasta dishes, sauces, ravioli stuffing, and in this case, Sweet Pea Feta Cakes. Now with most vegetables, I’d say “always go fresh” if you can. But frozen peas are in a category of their own. They aren’t really a substitute for fresh peas because I use fresh peas differently.
putting it together
I start the Sweet Pea Feta Cake with Yogurt Sauce recipe by making the yogurt sauce. It’s good to get that out of the way. Once you start frying the cakes, you don’t want to have to worry about the topping. I find the sour cream adds a touch of richness to the tang of the yogurt. If you’re not a cilantro fan, you could go the mint or basil route. Either herb would be delicious in the sauce. You can make the same substitution in the cakes if you need to.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is the color of the peas. They remain that beautiful bright green even after you fry the cakes. The feta stays chunky, so you get that salty, tangy feta taste and a lot of texture as you’re eating the cake. Of course, though, it’s the za’atar that gives the fritter that truly unique flavor. My version of Za’atar is a combination of sesame seeds, sumac, thyme leaves, marjoram, oregano, and sea salt. It’s one of my favorite spice blends to make, use, and keep on hand. Note to cooking club members: the Za’atar recipe is under “Spice Blends” in the Member Webinar Archive.
As far as cooking the sweet pea feta cakes goes, I have two pieces of advice. Firstly, make sure your oil is hot enough before you put the cakes in. I give you a temperature of 350º F. Secondly, don’t be tempted to flip the cakes too early. They need to set and brown on the first side before you flip them; otherwise, they can fall apart. I usually serve this recipe with a light salad on the side. I’ll give you a few suggestions below.
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Shaved Cucumber and Honeydew Greek Salad
Step by Step Instructions
Sweet Pea Feta Cakes with Yogurt Sauce
Equipment
- heavy-bottomed medium-sized skillet
Ingredients
=====Yogurt Sauce====
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
=====Pea Feta Cakes=====
- 1 pound frozen peas -- thawed
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs -- beaten
- zest from one lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
=====
- 3 tablespoons Za'atar
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
=====
- 3/4 cup chopped mint leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
=====
- canola oil
Instructions
=====Yogurt Sauce=====
- Combine all yogurt sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
=====Pea Feta Cakes=====
- Pulse the peas in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until roughly chopped, 12 or 15 times. Stir after every few pulses. (It's fine to have a few whole peas left.)
- Place the peas in a bowl and stir in the yogurt, eggs, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in the Za'atar, flour, and baking powder. When just combined, fold in the mint, cilantro, and feta.
- Set a cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with paper towels next to the stove.
- In a heavy-bottomed medium-sized skillet, heat 1/4-inch of oil to 350∫F. Drop 1/3 cup of pea mixture into the oil, flattening to a cake. (Work in batches; I do three at a time).
- Brown the first side of the cakes for 2 minutes. Flip the cakes and brown for an additional 2 minutes. Remove to the rack to drain and continue cooking the rest of the cakes.
- Serve cakes warm with the yogurt sauce.
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Nutrition
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