Feta Bites With Preserved Lemon Jam | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

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  Sirocco: Fabulous Flavours from the East

For the feta

• vegetable oil for frying
• 400 grams feta cheese (2 x 200g blocks, each cut into 8 cubes)
• 150 grams self-raising flour plus extra for dredging
• 1 egg
• 100 millilitres ice-cold water

For the preserved lemon jam

• 6 preserved lemons (pick the largest ones in the jar), deseeded and finely chopped
• 6 tablespoons caster sugar

1. First, make the jam. Set a small saucepan over a medium heat. Put in the chopped preserved lemon and caster sugar, stir well and cook for 6–8 minutes until thickened. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
2. Heat a saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in the oil to a depth of 7cm.
3. Carefully dredge the cubes of feta in flour and dust off any excess flour.
4. In a measuring jug, whisk together the egg and the 100ml of cold water, then add the self-raising flour and mix very lightly. Avoid overmixing to whisk out lumps – it is the lumps that will keep the batter light.
5. I find it easier to batter the feta on the end of a skewer. Insert a skewer gently into the centre of each feta cube, dip the cube into the batter to coat it well, then slide the cube off the skewer into the hot oil and fry until the feta cube is golden brown on all sides. Immediately follow with as many other cubes as you can fit into the saucepan without overcrowding it. When cooked, drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
6. Spoon the preserved lemon jam into a suitable dish and serve alongside the feta, with a pile of co*cktail sticks so that people can skewer and dunk the feta into the jam.