Tomato pancakes with yogurt sauce, an easy appetizer that takes you to Greece

One of the most representative dishes of the Greek island of Santorini is their fried tomatoes, called tmeat grinders and they are made with those tomatoes that the island is so proud of. They could be considered any buñuelo from Spain, fried flour dough and a little yeast, but with the particularity that these do not contain eggs and, in addition, incorporate some spices such as oregano.

Of course, this recipe is adaptable and the tomato can be changed to make fried zucchini or other ingredients like onion or basil can be added. The secret lies in flour / tomato / water ratio and then when the frying is clean, they make a crispy crust on the outside, not oiled but fully cooked on the inside.

The type of tomato used will determine the flour/water ratio as some tomatoes contain more water than others. The most recommended are cherry because they do not release as much liquid and therefore do not interfere with the mixture.

Of course, it’s critical to use ripe and flavorful tomatoes for the fritters to be delicious. You can enjoy them on their own or make them into a yogurt sauce like today’s or a Greek classic like Cucumber Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce.

Natural means some feta can be added if you like and there are versions that also incorporate a little red pepper, but, because it is such a popular recipe, it happens like croquettes in Spain: every house has its own recipe and they all apply equally.

For those who want to complete the Greek menu, they can make some fried cheese with corn sauce as an appetizer (sagarnaki) or the mythical spinach pie, the spinach pie.

This is the simplest recipe for these fritters, but if you want an extra tomato flavor, you could perfectly add some tomato concentrate or adjust to the batter mix. It would give us color and flavor.

Recipe for fried tomatoes

fried tomatoes

Clara Villalon

Step 1

Prepare the yogurt sauce. To do this, mix a quality yogurt and shortening with the dill, chili flakes, Greek spice mix, salt and sugar. If you don’t have a Greek spice mix, you can use black pepper, a pinch of cinnamon and oregano. Keep in the refrigerator.

Step 2

Wash the tomatoes very well, cut them in half and then cut them into four pieces.

Step 3

Remove the mint leaves from the stems, wash them and chop them. Mix the chopped tomatoes with the mint.

Step 4

Add the oregano, salt and black pepper to the mixture. Then add the flour, salt and finally the carbonated water. It is best to add very little carbonated water to check how runny the dough remains. It should be dense, with many bumps.

step 5

Heat plenty of olive oil on a high heat and when it heats up, lower the heat. Go by adding spoonfuls of the batter and wait for them to brown on one side before turning them over and cooking the fritters on the other. The oil should be hot but not too hot, if it was too hot the batter would burn and the fritters would not rise as they should.

step 6

Brown the fritters on the other side and remove them on kitchen paper with the help of a slotted spoon. Serve immediately, accompanied by the yogurt sauce on the side or drizzled directly on top.

Follow the topics that interest you