By A good week in real estate: 2 closings, 5 new leads, the satisfaction of matching families with houses the way Mama matches fillings with phyllo — instinctively, confidently. I brought spanakopita to an open house. The buyers ate it. They made an offer.
Mama called at 5:30 AM to tell me the tourists are back. She reported this with the urgency of a woman who considers every piece of information critical and every phone call an opportunity to also critique my cooking from forty miles away.
I stood in my kitchen this evening and looked at the counter where I have made a thousand meals for my family and thought: this is what I do. I feed people. I sell them houses and I feed them food and I keep showing up because showing up is the only recipe that never fails.
I made youvetsi — lamb stew with orzo baked until the pasta absorbed all the tomato sauce and the lamb fell apart. The kitchen smelled like cinnamon. Sophia ate 3 servings and said nothing, which means it was good. Alexander ate 4 and asked for more. The pan was empty by nine. Empty pans are the highest form of flattery in this kitchen.
The weeks pass and I am learning that life at 52 is not what I expected at twenty-five. It is messier, harder, more beautiful. The moussaka is better because my hands have made it more times. The career is stronger because the failures taught me what the successes could not. And the love — the love I pour into every dish, every showing, every Sunday drive to Tarpon Springs — is bigger now because I have lost enough to know what it costs.
The youvetsi filled the pan and the pan emptied by nine, and that’s the whole story of why I cook — but the truth is, the meal that started the week was simpler than that, and it was tomato fritters. I made a batch the Sunday before the closings, before Mama’s 5:30 AM call, before any of it — crispy on the outside, soft and herb-bright inside, the kind of thing my grandmother made when she wanted to say “I love you” without making a fuss. When the week asks a lot of you, you go back to the recipes that ask very little and give everything back.
Tomato Fritters
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4–6
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), coarsely grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 small yellow onion, finely grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste (go easy — the feta is salty)
- Olive oil for shallow frying (about 1/3 cup)
Instructions
- Drain the tomatoes. Grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater directly into a colander set over a bowl. Let them drain for 10 minutes, then press gently with your hands or a clean towel to remove as much liquid as possible. You want moist but not wet.
- Mix the batter. Transfer the drained tomato to a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, feta, onion, mint, parsley, oregano, and pepper. Stir until a thick, scoopable batter forms. If it feels too loose, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Taste before adding salt.
- Heat the oil. Pour olive oil into a large heavy skillet (cast iron works beautifully) to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Heat over medium-high until shimmering — a drop of batter should sizzle immediately on contact.
- Fry the fritters. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into the hot oil, flattening each slightly with the back of a spoon. Work in batches to avoid crowding. Fry 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden brown and crisp at the edges.
- Drain and serve. Transfer fritters to a plate lined with paper towels. Season with a pinch of flaky salt while hot. Serve immediately alongside a bowl of strained yogurt or tzatziki, or simply on their own. They do not wait well — eat them while they’re loud.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 195 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 320mg