I posted a version of this recipe many moons ago in the hazy days of introducing A to real food. Like any baby she liked all things orange and sweet to eat. As a mini-project to go hand in hand with the photography course I’m taking, I have decided to photograph and polish up some of our favourite ‘every day’ family recipes for posterity and put them in a book- almost a little food ‘time capsule’ for A when she grows up. Who knows, maybe a gluten free diet for coeliac disease, or the current ‘clean eating’ trend will seem quaint and retro to her when she’s older, just like the wotsits and prawn cocktails of my 80s childhood do to me*?!

Carrot Cake Koftas

GF, DF, SyF, EF, V, Vg

Makes 18

These slightly sweet & spiced little thingummys won’t win over any falafel purists, in fact they’re somewhere near a pakora, and not much like a kofta at all! They do hold their moisture well, though, and are delicious in a gluten free flatbread with salad and extra chutney, or as part of a mezze lunch, for grown ups too.

Ingredients

· 3 medium carrots, finely grated
· 1 tin of chickpeas or butterbeans, drained
· 50g walnuts
· 50g sultanas
· 1 tsp ground coriander
· 1 tbsp ground cumin
· 2 tbsp apple puree
· 1 tbsp mango chutney (check it’s gluten free)
· 1 tsp lemon juice
· 2 slices of gluten free bread, made into breadcrumbs
· Olive oil for cooking

Method

1. Finely grate the carrots.
2. Put the chickpeas and walnuts into a food processor, and whizz until they are a coarse breadcrumb-like texture.
3. Mix together all of the remaining ingredients, except the breadcrumbs, until well combined. You might want to get your hands in! Adjust the seasoning if you like.
4. Break off and roll golf ball sized pieces of the mix, and roll them in the breadcrumbs.
5. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
6. Preheat the oven to 180˚c, place the koftas on a lightly oiled baking try, drizzle a little more oil on the koftas, and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 18

*I’m doing my parents a massive disservice with this comment- my love of cooking and food comes from them, but on digging through some old photos recently, there’s no denying that party food was almost always beige!