Corn Fritters with Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce

At the height of fresh corn season, these simple fritters can be served as a tasty side dish or as an appetizer. They're good warm or at room temperature, and the easy tomatillo-cilantro sauce adds a lot of flavor. Adapted from Vegan Holiday Kitchen. Photos by Susan Voisin.

Makes about 24

Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce

½ cup tomatillo salsa
½ cup cilantro leaves
Juice of ½ to 1 lime, to taste
¼ teaspoon salt
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5 medium ears fresh uncooked corn
½ cup unbleached white flour
½ cup cornmeal
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup rice milk
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 small fresh hot chili pepper, seeded and minced, optional

Oil for frying

Place the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor. Pulse on an doff until the cilantro leaves are finely minced. Transfer the sauce to a small serving bowl.

Break each ear of corn in half; stand on the flat end, and scrape the kernels off with a sharp knife. Combine the corn kernels with the remaining ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Pulse on and off until the corn is finely minced but not pureed.

Heat enough oil to coat a large skillet or griddle. When really hot, ladle the batter onto the skillet to form 2 ½ to 3 inch rounds (this will be somewhat less than ¼ cup each). Cook over medium heat until golden brown on each side. Transfer each batch to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

To serve, place the sauce in the center of a platter and surround with the fritters. Place a small spoon in the sauce so that everyone can spread a bit on their fritters.