Fresh fennel fritters served with tomato and yoghurt dressing

This meze dish is excellent! So delicious and so aromatic where the fresh fennel makes the difference. Fennel grows in various areas of Greece and the tender green fronds are used in so many different recipes as an aromatic herb. Looks a lot like the dill but the taste and the aroma are totally different

Ingredients (for 15-20 fritters):
1 1/2-2 banches of fresh fennel fronds, finely snipped
8 spring onions, finely chopped
1 egg
a bit of water
1 onion, grated
4 tbsp of ouzo
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1 1/2 tea-cup of cornflour (= cornmeal)
1/2 tea-cup of all purpose flour
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
olive oil for frying

For the dressing
2 ripe but firm tomatoes
1 large clove of garlic, pulped and mixed together with 1 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tea-cup of Greek thick yoghurt
1/2 a lemon, the juice
a pinch of salt
 
Method:
In a large plastic bowl put the fennel, the Spring onions, the flour, the cornmeal, the grated onion, the egg, the baking powder, the ouzo and season with salt and pepper.
 
Stir well with a wooden spoon and gradually add the water, until you get a rather thick batter. You don't want it to be too stiff and definitely not runny, so add the water little by little while you are stirring. Put the batter in the fridge for about half an hour.
 
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan, in medium to low heat.
 
When the batter is ready take spoonfuls of the mixture and slide into the hot oil. Fry the fennel fritters until they get golden coloured on both sides. *** Put in the frying pan a few fritters at the time so to be able to turn them around easily.

When ready, take them out of the pan with a slotted spatula and let them drain on kitchen paper. Continue in the same way until all the batter is used.
 
While the fritters are frying, grate the tomatoes into a small sieve and place it on top of a bowl. Let the tomatoes drain very well to get in the end a nice pulp.
 
Put the tomato pulp in a serving bowl, add the yoghurt, the garlic, the lemon juice, the salt and stir very well. Put the dressing in the fridge for half an hour.

Serve the fritters while they are still hot along with the tomato/yoghurt dressing.
 
Note:
This dressing can accompany various kind of fritters. It is very refreshing and helps to break down the lightly greasy taste sometimes fritters leave in the mouth