Greek Style Courgette Fritters With Tzatziki Food

GREEK-STYLE COURGETTE FRITTERS WITH TZATZIKI

Steps:

• Top and tail the courgettes, then slice them, diagonally, into 6-7mm thick slices. Toss in a bowl with a little salt, spread out on kitchen paper, then leave to drain for about 30 minutes. Sift the flour and the ½ tsp salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre, then add the 5 tbsp olive oil with 150ml cold water. Gradually beat together to make a smooth batter. Leave to rest.
• For the tzatziki, peel and discard half the cucumber skin in strips, leaving the rest. Coarsely grate the cucumber. Scoop up small handfuls and squeeze out most of the excess liquid. Tip the yogurt into a bowl and stir in the grated cucumber, garlic, spring onions, dill or mint, olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with a little extra chopped dill or mint.
• Pat the courgette slices dry with kitchen paper. Heat some oil for deep-frying to 190°C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 20 seconds). This can be in a thermostatic fryer, deep saucepan or sauté pan.
• Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they form soft peaks, then carefully fold them into the batter. Dip the courgette slices a few at a time into the batter, add them to the hot oil and deep-fry for 2 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain briefly on kitchen paper, sprinkle lightly with a little more salt if you wish, and serve with the tzatziki while they're hot and crisp.

GREEK COURGETTE FRITTERS WITH TZATZIKI

Steps:

• Squeeze excess moisture from cucumber. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, garlic, cucumber and vinegar. Stir in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Lay out a layer of paper towels and spread out grated courgette. Sprinkle courgette with salt and let sit for at least thirty minutes and up to an hour. Squeeze out all excess moisture from courgette.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and cornmeal or polenta or breadcrumbs (alternatively use extra flour) until well combined, then stir in the courgettes.
• Trim and finely chop both the white and green parts of the spring onions, and stir into the fritter mix. Add the beaten eggs, and finish with
• Finely chop the herbs and crumble the feta, if using, then add both to the courgette mix. Add a good grating of nutmeg and some pepper. There should be no need for salt if feta is used.
• Form dough into 3-4 inch patties. Add a little more flour if the dough is too wet.
• Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Fry a small dollop of the batter and taste to see if more salt is needed. Fry patties until golden brown on both sides and cooked through but still moist, about 2-3 minutes per side.
• Serve hot with tzatziki.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS WITH TZATZIKI

Steps:

• In a colander, sprinkle zucchini with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; toss to combine, and let stand at room temperature 45 minutes. Transfer zucchini to a clean kitchen towel; squeeze out any remaining juice.
• In a large bowl, combine zucchini, remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, scallions, dill, mint, eggs, and cheese. Fold in flour until just combined.
• Line a large platter or baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-low heat. Using half the batter, drop heaping teaspoons directly into pan to create about fourteen 1 1/2-inch patties, each about 1/4 inch thick. Cook patties, without flattening, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer zucchini fritters to paper-towel-lined platter, and season with salt. Repeat with remaining batter and tablespoon oil. Serve immediately with tzatziki.