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Squash

Zucchini Fritters with Honey Yogurt and Mint – A Taste of Greece on a Plate

I’m not sure that any European country can claim that their national ethnic cuisine can rival Greek food in terms of being the perfect summertime fare.  I find that every time I try a new Greek recipe, I’m reminded of summer, so why not put together a Greek menu to entertain guests when it’s 80 degrees and humid (at night) in Boston.  I went with a roasted rack of lamb with summer herbs (rosemary, mint and garlic), accompanied by some zucchini fritters inspired by Michael Symon, my favorite Iron Chef (now that Mario is MIA) as well as a warm Swiss chard salad with fennel, spring onion, eggs and balsamic.

The fritters were fantastic, though I think made even better by the yogurt dipping sauce, which is that classic savory, sweet, sour combination of the rich Greek yogurt, honey (local preferred) and lemon juice – a dash of salt accentuates the flavors even more.

I think I love this recipe so much because honestly, it gives me another way to use zucchini, a vegetable that I sometimes struggle to come to terms with.  Sure, there’s ratatouille and zucchini soup which are delicious, but almost seem more like autumn dishes to me.  Squash is certainly interesting to cook with, as it contains a lot of water, and is therefore rather tough to create great texture with.  As soon as I saw this fritters recipe from Michael Symon, I acknowledged that the first step he did was to ‘de-liquid’ the squash, making it possible to achieve that wonderful crispiness that everyone loves.  A truly fantastic appetizer or side dish, fit for any summer protein.

For the fritters:

• 1 large zucchini (or 2-3 medium zucchini) – a vendor at my farmer’s market happened to be having a special on their zucchini where the huge one’s were only $1 each, but get 2-3 from your grocer.
• A rough 1/2 cup feta cheese – I prefer sheep’s milk feta for this, but cow feta is fine
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. fennel fronds
• 1 small head fennel (or 1/2 a larger head – finely diced
• 5-6 scallions – finely chopped
• Scant 1/4 cup mint leaves (spearmint preferred) – finely diced
• 1 Tbsp. Thyme – chopped
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour (or white…whatever you have)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 cups canola oil for frying

For the yogurt sauce:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp. chopped spearmint leaves (use regular mint if you can’t find spearmint)
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

To make the fritters, first start by grating the zucchini on the largest gauge of your box grater you typically use for pizza cheese.  Take the grated squash and place it in a cheese cloth of paper towels.  Your goal here is to squeeze the zucchini as much as possible as to extract as much water as you can from the vegetable.  You can add a little salt to it to help extract the water.  The more water you can remove the better.

Once you’ve done your part with the grated squash, add it to a medium mixing bowl and add the feta (crumbling as you go), mint, scallion, lemon zest, garlic, fennel and fronds, thyme and salt and pepper (a decent pinch worth of each).  Mix to combine, then add the egg and flour and continue to mix.  The consistency should be a tad moist, but not watery at all.  Prepare the oil over low heat (to around 350 F if you have a candy thermometer) – you don’t want it too high, as it will burn the outside of the fritters.  Add enough oil to a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven to cover 1-2″.

Shape the fritters with your hand to resemble a crab cake or a 2″ round shape.  Place in the oil and cook on one side until it’s turned a dark brown color.  A key to cooking these is to get the outside consistency right (crispy, but not burned) while still ensuring the inside is cooked through.  Do this by maintaining that the heat is low and the fritters are being monitored for their color.  Once the fritters are done, remove and place on paper towels to dry.

Meanwhile, you can mix together the yogurt sauce – in a small bowl or ramekin, mix all of the ingredients listed above until the honey dissolves into the yogurt and comes together.  Set aside until the fritters are done and then serve either on the side as a dipping sauce or on top or under the fritters on the plate.

Makes around 6 fritters

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