Corned beef fritters with tomato

Serves 4

I always have a few tins of corned beef in my larder, usually to make a brunch-style corned beef hash with a fried egg on top, but on this occasion corned beef fritters seemed appropriate, with a sauce made from a can of chopped tomatoes.

1 x 340g corned beef, chilled and cut into rough 1cm chunks
3tbsp self-raising flour
Cold water to mix
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable or corn oil for frying

For the sauce

1tbsp vegetable or corn oil
1 small onion, peeled, halved and finely chopped
Half a large 400g can chopped tomatoes
A good pinch of dried oregano

First make the sauce: heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-based saucepan and gently cook the onion for 2-3 minutes until it softens. Add the tomatoes and oregano, season, bring to the boil and simmer for about 12-15 minutes, adding a little water if necessary. Meanwhile, put the flour into a bowl and gradually whisk in enough water to make a thick-ish batter and season. Preheat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large, thick-bottomed saucepan or electric deep-fat fryer.

Mix the nuggets of corned beef with the batter and drop them into the oil in batches, moving them around with a slotted spoon as they are cooking until they are crisp and golden; then remove from the oil and drain on some kitchen paper. To serve, spoon the sauce on to warmed serving plates and arrange the fritters on top.