Zucchini Fritters

miss_cupcaker's Note:

I got this out of Amy Sedaris's cookbook "I Like You". If you don't own this book-get your fanny on Amazon.com right now and order it! These changed my life the day I chose to fix them in my then teeny tiny apartment kitchen. A great way to fix zucchini any time of the year! The combination of the crispy-fried veggies and the gooey-sharpness of the feta cheese is wonderful. I crave these nonstop and they go perfect with most Italian or Greek inspired meals. Even friends/dates/family members who are "anti-squash" love these fritters as appetizers or a side.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 -3 medium zucchini, grated and drained of all liquid
• 2 -3 garlic cloves (I LOVE garlic and add much more than 3 cloves)
• 1 medium white onions or 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I prefer to buy a 16oz. block of Athenos brand, cut it in half and whirl it in the food processor)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 -3 large egg
• generous handful salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Grate your zucchini into a colander. Once all the zucchini is grated, salt liberally and let sit for a few minutes.
2. While letting the salt sit on the zucchini, mince 2-3 (or more) cloves of garlic and put in separate bowl.
3. Dice your onion, place in bowl with the garlic.
4. *Time saving tip* I put whole cloves of garlic and the onion into the food processor and give a few pulses till they are finely chopped.
5. Go back to the zucchini and with the bottom of a coffee cup (or hands); press down HARD on zucchini, squeezing all the liquid out of it that you can. Stir the zucchini around and press again until you feel like you're going to pass out; that should do it. Throw zucchini into the bowl with the onion and garlic.
6. Crumble the feta, unless you bought it crumbled already, (if that's the case, just tip it into the zucchini mixture), and mix with zucchini.
7. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well in between and adding tablespoons of flour as you go. You want this to be the consistency of thick pancake batter; just barely pourable. If your mix is too thick, add a little water. If it's too runny, add flour. Add your pepper and stir it all together.
8. Heat a table top griddle to 350-400 degrees F. Spray with oil or spread melted butter to grease. I prefer olive oil on mine, but it's whatever you like. If you don't have a griddle, you can use a skillet. I have found that the fritters cook better on the griddle. If using a skillet you can pan fry them with an inch or so of oil. It's up to you and what's available in your kitchen.
9. Spoon fritters onto griddle (I use an ice cream scoop filled 3/4 full so they all cook even) and let cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side. When the bottom browns and the top bubbles (much like a pancake), flip with a spatula. You want the finished product to be about the size of your palm or a good-sized cookie. When both sides are brown and slightly crispy, remove and drain on paper towels or crumpled newspaper.
10. Try not to burn your mouth while eating all of these as soon as they come off the griddle.
11. Variations on Zucchini Fritters:.
12. You can add more veggies to these: carrots, mushrooms, and yellow squash are all successful add-ins I've used.
13. My best friend likes to eat these with Ranch Dressing for dipping. Personally, I'm a purist, but to each his own.
14. Happy scarfing!

Reviews

[Susie D]

Really good! The mixture held together well & cooked into pretty patties. While these have an eggy texture, the flavor of the veggies shines. I added 2 grated carrots, a medium yellow onion, and half of a red pepper and substituted grated parmesan for the feta. I'll keep this recipe on hand for "clean out the veggie bin" days. Thank you for sharing the recipe!