Fritter

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Crescent Dragonwagon's book Passionate Vegetarian. Dragonwagon also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. For most of our years as innkeepers, these croquettes, served with shiitake mushroom gravy and accompanied by a small stuffed pumpkin and other fixings, were the entree we offered vegetarians at Dairy Hollow Thanksgivings. Though rather plain as far as savory cakes go, the deep, dark colors and flavors are autumnal and satisfying. Sure, most guests chose turkey, but vegetarians were ecstatic about these. In fact, one of my sources of residual Innkeeper Guilt is the nice thank-you note I got from two such, begging me for the recipe. I am not territorial about recipes and had no problem — or wouldn't have, if I'd ever measured what I did. They actually called the front desk twice to ask again (Guilt! Guilt!) but by the time I had measured, and written, a year had gone by. I sent the recipe, groveling and apologetic. Alas, they had moved, forwarding service expired. If you two are out there reading this, I hope you will accept my apologies. At the inn I always used to fry these, but I am very pleased with the nonfried version. These are slightly tricky to work with because the batter is soft and messy. Just persevere: They come out delicious. I prefer this with 2 eggs — one in the batter, one as part of the breading mix — but it is possible to make it vegan, too.

Known as arancini, or "little oranges," in Italian, these little balls, with their surprise melted cheese filling, are an excellent way to turn leftover risotto into a delectable hors d'oeuvre. They're so good, you might be inspired to make a batch of risotto just to enjoy in this form.

The French term amuse bouche (which means "amuse the mouth") describes tiny appetizers that are served with drinks to awaken the palate. One such complimentary amuse bouche that we serve out Chanterelle clients as they sip their aperitifs and look over the menu is these little fritters, which come with a slightly exotic Tamarind Dipping Sauce. The restaurant staff likes them, too: After a long, late shift, when we often have snacks before we clean up and go home, we can't resist indulging in the fritters, although we usually dip them in hot sauce since there's rarely any Tamarind Dipping Sauce left in the kitchen. Sweet Vidalia onions are harvested in the spring and are best at that time, when they're freshest. They can be found the rest of the year for as long as the supply lasts. If you can't find Vidalias, try another sweet onion like Maui (Hawaii) or Walla Walla (Washington). At other times of year you could use Spanish onions as a substitute.

When you put okra and cornmeal—two icons of the southern table—together in a hot greased skillet, magic happens, especially when you've tossed in a little crisp bacon for good measure. These fritters are best when eaten immediately, but try not to devour them all before they've even left the kitchen.

The verdict in the test kitchen was unanimous: When we order crab cakes in restaurants, these meaty beauties are what we want—not the bready hockey pucks that dot many menus around the country. Pair them with a simple salad or some fries for a Chesapeake-inspired two-person dinner done right.

Frigitterie, found all over Palermo, means things fried, and the selections are endless. Breaded eggplant, broccoli, artichokes—all of the vegetables in season are coated with a flour paste (pastella) and find their way into a fryer. In Palermo, one of the undisputed specialties is panella, made of chickpea flour and cooked like polenta, chilled, and then cut into thick slices that are fried in olive oil. Fried panelle are eaten as is, or multiple slices are piled in a sesame bun and enjoyed as a big sandwich. Panelle can make a great accompaniment to fish or meat, but everybody loves them passed around as an hors d'oeuvre. Convenient to prepare in advance, they can be cooked up in a big batch, left to cool in the sheet pan, then refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can cut out a few panelle and fry them for a snack or side dish whenever you want. If you're serving bite-sized panelle for a cocktail party, I suggest you fry all the pieces ahead of time and keep them warm in the oven before your guests arrive.

Food editor Lillian Chou, who is also gourmet's resident runner of marathons, swears by quinoa: "I have so much more energy if I eat it before a race!" And transforming this power grain into crisp cakes topped with a substantial rustic sauce and gooey softened mozzarella creates another compelling reason to love it—it just tastes so good.

Sparkling cider, rather than sugar, gives our batter its touch of sweetness. The cider also ramps up the apple flavor and adds to the beignets' lovely golden hue.

Your guests will still be talking about these zingy, crunchy bites long after the party's over. A combination of tender rice, melting Cheddar, and a crisp bread-crumb shell, paired with a spicy vinegar dipping sauce that cuts right through the richness, these irresistible nibbles will disappear almost before you finish frying. It might seem a little unusual to cook the rice in a combination of water and milk, but it imparts a luxurious creaminess that makes the fritters all the more addictive.

Using a freshly made ricotta makes all the difference in these delicious fried morsels.

Corn fritters are incredibly versatile—they can be drizzled with maple syrup for a breakfast cake, topped with applesauce as a snack, or served with salsa as a side dish. These fritters, adapted from Laurie Colwin, have a wonderfully crisp exterior and a sweet, fluffy middle.

Every Israeli has an opinion about falafel, the ultimate Israeli street food, which is most often served stuffed into pita bread.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Tyler Florence's Eat This Book. To read more about Tyler Florence and to get his tips on throwing a Super Bowl party, click here. Cod was once one of the most valuable commodities in the world — it was the sustainable protein for most of Europe for about five hundred years. Before refrigeration, most of Europe survived on salted, air-dried cod fillets (salt cod) and Portugal has been one of the largest producers for hundreds of years. When used in cooking, salt cod is first soaked to remove much of the salt. It is reconstructed in simmering milk enhanced with garlic and then used a million different ways: as a means of adding salt to food (similar to the way anchovies are used), folded into stews, or mixed with creamy, soft, cooked potatoes to form bacalao, the Portuguese national dish. This is my take on bacalao. I've spiked the potato mix with chopped parsley and cilantro, which gives it a very fresh, clean flavor, and then quickly fried small bits into crisp, golden fritters. Squeeze fresh lemon over the top and you've got a fantastic hors d'oeuvre that's original and very easy to make.

In the past two years, half of our food editors have traveled to Spain, where they tried a variety of croquetas (ham, fish, and vegetable) that left a very positive impression. Serve these potato croquetas with any combination of dried sausage, olives, nuts, and cheese.

Shirley Phillips was raised on Hooper Island, Maryland, in Chesapeake Bay, and grew up surrounded by the finest seafood imaginable. Given her upbringing, it's no surprising that she married a waterman, Brice Phillips. The couple made their way to Ocean City, Maryland, and opened a crab shack, selling "jimmies" — heavy, fat, perfectly seasoned crabs — to tourists and locals alike. Almost fifty years later, that roadside crab shack has evolved into one of the largest seafood operations in America, Phillips foods. Miss Shirley is still a part of the daily operation of her signature Ocean City restaurant, which serves thousands of crab cakes every season. According to Shirley, the secret to a good crab cake is good crab, lots of lumps, and simple seasoning.

These thin cornmeal fritters go nicely with the flounder in jalapeño cream. They are made from the same type of batter as hush puppies, but not deep-fried.

This is a popular street food in Sicily, especially in Palermo, where warm panelle are served between two pieces of country bread.

If you substitute regular bread crumbs for the panko, the coating will be heavier and the texture denser. In this recipe, the peas are soaked but not precooked before grinding, much like in a falafel.

To make these celery root latkes a little easier, you can shred the potatoes, onions, and celery root in a food processor with the shredding disk.

Don't be put off by this recipe if you don't like the slippery texture of okra — it disappears when the okra is coated in batter.

Inspired by American Adobo In this 2001 film, a group of Filipino-American college friends get together to eat and share stories about their loves and lives. Their experiences of assimilating to American society vary, but all of the characters recognize their need for the comfort derived from friendship and familiar foods. For this dish, be sure your plaintains are completely black, since the fruit becomes sweeter as it ripens. (Yellow or mottled brown plantains are very starchy and usually take about a week to fully ripen.) Serve these fritters as a snackor pair them with ice cream for a delicious dessert.

For a particularly light and crunchy coating we used panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) on these crab cakes rather than regular bread crumbs. Panko is increasingly available in this country, not only in Asian markets but also in seafood shops.