Fritter Away the end of summer

The current tsunami of colorful fresh produce can feel overwhelming. You just can't eat it all and it ends up staring at you, daring you.  An easy and tasty way to polish it off is in a fritter, or pancake if you prefer. There are all sorts from the traditional Eastern European potato latke (pancake) to the beloved Venezuelan corn meal pancake known as arepa  and its sibling, the Rhode Island johnnycake. Fritters make a splendid vegetarian meal but they are fried food. If you have a problem with that, you can bake them. You need to oil a cookie sheet because oil is what conducts the heat into the fritter. You need to brush the top of each with oil and you need to bake them at a high heat, about 425º.  Some fritters freeze so you can enjoy them later.

Greek zucchini fritters, aka
Kolokithokeftedes

What you see in the photo is a bit of a cheat: I had only a small zucchini but a leek which also makes fritters so I put them together. The leek fritter wants lemon, the zucchini yogurt so I've got both here. Here's the zucchini recipe plain and simple: everybody loves these.

2½ lbs zucchini, grated(about 4 lg ones)

1 red onion, grated

2 spring onions, finely chopped

2-3 tbsps fresh mint, finely chopped

2 eggs

1½ cup feta cheese, grated

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups fine breadcrumbs

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsps parsley, finely chopped

oil for frying

Use a grater to grate the zucchini and place them in a colander with some salt. Squeeze them with your hands to get rid of the excessive water. Leave them for 30 minutes and squeeze them again.

Into a large bowl add the other ingredients and mix well with your hands, until combined and the mixture is firm enough to make balls or patties. Add breadcrumbs as needed.
To fry: In a pan, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, and heat the oil into medium-high heat.

Dip a tablespoon in some water and spoon out some of the mixture into the hot oil. Repeat this procedure until the surface off the pan is comfortably filled. You should dip the spoon in the water every time, so that the dough doesn’t stick on it.

Fry the kolokithokeftedes for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until nicely colored. Place them on paper towel, to absorb the extra oil.

A healthier alternative is to bake patties. Preheat the oven to 425º, oil the bottom of a baking tray and form patties with your hands. Place on the baking tray and brush the top with some olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake another 10-15 until all patties are nicely brown. Serve hot or room temp with fresh cold yogurt or tsatsiki.

 Corn meal corn and chili fritters

I made these up to use up two ears of corn that had been in the fridge 4 days. I used packaged "masarepa", the white corn meal specific for  arepas but I believe regular fine ground yellow corn meal will also work. What you see in the center is a sauté of multicolored peppers which are overflowing right now at farmers' markets. It's actually a delectable and very versatile Basque dish known as Piperade. It's possible and wonderful to serve a sunny side up egg atop these pancakes or guacamole or Mexican green salsa made from tomatilloes and avocado..

 makes 12-15 fritters
1 c masarepa or fine corn meal
1 c water
1/2 c milk
1 lg (not jumbo) egg
1 sm green chili minced or 1/4 tsp chili powder
2 ears of corn, cooked and the corn cut off the cob
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt to your taste (probably 1/4 tsp)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp very finely chopped cilantro leaves

 Preheat oven to 375º.
Combine everything in the order listed in a med/lg bowl, mixing steadily as you go. You should have a thickish dough that doesn't really run. Coat the bottom of a large skillet or a griddle with a layer of corn oil and put it over medium/high heat. When the oil is hot (try dropping a tiny bit of water and see if it sizzles), using a soup spoon, make round pancakes, as many as fit in the pan with room for you to flip them. Cook until bubbles form at the top. flip and cook until both sides are equally browned. Drain on paper towels. Put in a single layer on a large cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Cool slightly to serve.
 
Bulgarian leek fritters

I am reprising this recipe because these fritters are fabulous hot or at room temperature. People gobble them up. They are best with a squeeze of fresh lemon. With a hearty tomato or full on panzanella salad,  they make a great luncheon.

Makes 12, serves 6-8

6 lg leeks, white and light green parts only

1 tbsp fresh chives, minced

2 eggs, beaten

½-2/3 cup dried breadcrumbs

1 tsp coarse sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp corn or canola oil for frying

1 lemon

Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and crosswise and rinse to clean.

Put leeks in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to simmer and cook uncovered about 25 minutes, until leeks are soft.

Drain well. Wrap leeks in a heavy towel to squeeze out as much excess water as possible.

Coarsely chop the leeks. Put in a bowl with the chives, salt and pepper. Stir in the breadcrumbs. (Enough to take up any remaining moisture in the leeks.) Blend in the eggs. 

Make 8 patties that are about ½ inch thick.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Arrange the patties in the pan so they don’t touch (you may have to do this in two batches) and cook until brown on the bottom side, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes so both sides are evenly browned. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Serve with a squirt of lemon juice and a wedge of lemon.

Optionally sprinkle minced fresh flat leaf parsley on the plate.

Can be served warm or cold.

Tomato Fritters

1 1/2 lbs ripe plum or cherry tomatoes, grated or finely chopped

3 scallions, white and tender green parts, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

4 Tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped

Pinch of cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1¼ - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or fine ground chickpea flour, as needed

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp extra virgin olive oil

Vegetable oil for frying (olive oil has a low smoke point but you can use it for the flavor by mixing a bit into corn or canola oil)

In a large bowl, mix together the grated or chopped tomatoes, scallions, herbs, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Combine 1¼ cups of the flour and the baking powder in a small bowl and add it to the tomatoes, mixing well. Add the olive oil. Add flour if necessary to give the mixture the consistency of a thick batter. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cover the bottom of a large heavy skillet with 1” of oil. Heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, drop a tablespoon of the batter at a time into the skillet and fry the tomato fritters on both sides until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Buttery Corn and Chive Fritters

These are fancier and fussier but mighty delicious if you dare them.
serves 6

1 1/2 c corn kernels  (4-5 lg ears)
1/2 c milk
1/3 c fine corn meal
1/3 c unbleached white flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 lg eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, lots
1/2 c chopped fresh chives
1/2 c ghee for frying

Put the corn kernels in a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk, corn meal and flour.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs and yolks. Stir this carefully into the dry corn mix. Add salt, pepper and chives.

Heat a large skillet over med/high heat and add the ghee when it's hot. Using a soup soon, drop the batter into the skillet and quickly flatten and shape into a small round pancake. Fry 2 minutes on each side or until they are both golden brown. Remove from skillet and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Keep this in the oven at 225º until all the fritters have been fried. Serve immediately, maybe with a dollop of creme fraiche.