ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

When I prepared my Lasagna Roll-Ups this week, I had difficulty deciding on the side dishes to serve them with. A salad is always a good choice; however, I also wanted something more robust. I was definitely in the market for a vegetable, and I scanned my small sticky note filled with “want to cook” items and came across Zucchini Fritters. BINGO.

After examining many ways to make zucchini fritters, I realized that many of them featured Greek or Mediterranean flavorings. Because I wanted to go with the Italian style, I altered the ingredients to match. In the rest, it’s always similar to chopped zucchini, flour, and eggs (as binding agents). My cakes were free-form; however, increase the amount of flour if you want something more rigid and can shape into patties.

I served my fritters with my homemade sauce to dip them in, but they’re delicious, all in their own right. Because they’re cooked and fried, they’ll only be crispy one day. I’ve been eating leftovers for the past week, and, despite being soft and muggy (especially after being reheated by microwave), they were delicious.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of shredded zucchini (2 tiny or 3/4 pounds. total) ($1.15)

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic (1 small clove) ($0.07)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano ($0.05)

1/2 tsp dried, chopped basil ($0.05)

One handful of fresh parsley ($0.12)

One pinch of salt as well as pepper ($0.05)

One large egg ($0.16)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour ($0.11)

1 cup of vegetable oil (for cooking) ($0.32)

INSTRUCTIONS

Clean the zucchini and remove the ends. You can grate the zucchini by making large holes with a grater for cheese. You’ll need around 2 cups, two small zucchini, or around .75 pounds.

Mix with the oregano, garlic, basil, and salt and pepper in the bowl (start with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and approximately ten cranks from the mill for pepper). Mix until well combined. Check the taste of the zucchini, and modify the pepper and salt to suit your taste. It should be more flavorful than you would like the final product since once you’ve added the flour and the egg, the flavor and saltiness will diminish.

Whisk an egg, then add it with the zucchini and the flour, 3/4 cup. Mix until all ingredients are well mixed. It should have a texture like cake batter.

In the meantime, heat 1/2 cup of oil inside a tiny pan until it is very hot. To check for temperature, drop a tiny portion of the batter in the oil, which should begin to bubble. The oil shouldn’t be smoked; however, if it is, reduce the temperature immediately. The batter should be dropped into the oil, each spoonful at a time. Cakes are cooked on each side until golden brown. The patties should drain onto a paper towel-covered plate.