Artichoke, Feta, and Lemon Fritters

The last time I went to Whole Foods, I bought the most delicious fritters with artichoke hearts, lemon and feta.  Enormous in size, more like a large hamburger than a fritter, but oh so yummy!  The flavor was reminiscient of a stuffed artichoke, but easier to eat.  I had bought 2 and savored them over 3 days; what a sad day it was when I swallowed the last bite.  No matter, I figured, I'd make my own.  Well, easier said than done.  I looked and looked, and looked some more for a copycat version, but to no avail.  I found two recipes on foodnetwork.com, but neither seemed to fit the bill, so I decided to just make it up based on my culinary memory.  I have to say that what I created was quite good, not exact, mind you, but good nonetheless.  I brought the fritters to work, and everyone loved them, and they actually tasted much closer to the original after having an overnight stay in the refrigerator.  I do think more research is required, but I have absolutely no reason to drive across the lake, unless, of course, you consider going on an artichoke fritter fact-finding mission a worthy cause...

Artichoke, Feta, and Lemon Fritters Printable recipe
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained
1 tablespoon grated garlic
3 leeks, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup flour
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 parsley, minced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil for pan-frying

Drain, rinse, and chop artichoke hearts.
Combine leeks, garlic and the extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl; microwave for 3 minutes or until softened.
Add leeks and garlic to the artichoke hearts.
Stir in flour, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, feta, black pepper, Italian seasoning, zest and juice.
Beat egg, then stir into mixture; allow mixture to chill in refrigerator for at least one hour.
Heat oil in shallow skillet - about 1" deep
Shape mixture into 10 fritters and fry for 3 minutes on each side.
Serve warm or room temperature.

Linked to Hearth and Soul, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday, Wandering Wednesday BlogHop, What's Cooking Wednesday, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Recipe of the Week: Appetizers