Rachel Khoo: feeling corny

I have a bit of a soft spot for sweetcorn at the moment — perhaps it’s the American influence, having spent two weeks in the US where corn is a fixture on most menus, particularly in the summer months. They like to slather whole cobs in butter and seasoning and slap them on the barbecue — delicious simplicity. This speedy weeknight supper is only marginally more complicated, but worth the few extra details. It makes a great Sunday brunch treat, too.

Sweetcorn and courgette fritters with buttermilk dressing

Makes 8

1 medium courgette

1 onion

280g sweetcorn (tinned is fine)

Handful of fresh mint

2 eggs

40ml milk

100g plain flour

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp baking powder

150ml buttermilk

2 tsp sumac

4 tbsp rapeseed oil

8 rashers back bacon

Top and tail the courgette and grate roughly. Peel and finely chop the onion. Put the courgette, onion and sweetcorn in a bowl. Finely chop the mint (reserving a little for garnish) and add to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Beat the eggs with the milk and add the flour, paprika and baking powder. Mix well, then add the vegetables to the batter, stir and leave for a few minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the dressing by mixing the buttermilk with the sumac. Place in a bowl in the fridge until ready to serve.

Heat a large frying pan on a medium heat, adding 2 tbsp of the oil. Ladle 4 dollops of the batter mixture into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden. Repeat with the remainder (this should make 8 fritters about 8cm in diameter).

Heat the grill. Place the bacon on an aluminium-lined tray and grill on high for 2-3 minutes on each side.

To serve, place a fritter on each plate, add two slices of bacon and then another fritter. Garnish with chopped mint and drizzle with the buttermilk dressing.