Zucchini Bacon Fritters With Basil Mayo Dipping Sauce Food

ZUCCHINI BACON FRITTERS WITH BASIL-MAYO DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Make basil mayo:
• Purée basil with mayonnaise, water, and lemon juice in a blender. Transfer to a small bowl and chill until ready to use.
• Make fritters:
• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Heat 3 inches oil to 350°F in a deep 5-quart pot over medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir together zucchini, jalapeño, chives, and a pinch of salt in another bowl. Add egg, milk, and bacon to zucchini mixture and toss to coat zucchini. Stir in flour mixture until incorporated.
• Fry small spoonfuls of batter in batches of about 10, turning occasionally, until golden-brown all over, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Return oil to 350°F between batches.
• Serve fritters with basil mayo.

ZUCCHINI, BASIL & FETA FRITTERS

Steps:

• Coarsley grate zucchini. Firmly squeeze zucchini to remove excess moisture. Place into a medium bowl.
• Add green onions, feta, basil and egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Sift flour and baking powder together and stir into zucchini mixture.
• Whisk egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Using a metal spoon, gently fold egg whites into zucchini mixture.
• Heat 1/2cm oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium eat. Using approximately 2 heapedtablespoons mixture per fritter, spoon mixture intopan and cook, in batches, for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden. Drain fritters on paper towel and serve.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS WITH SOUR CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor. The latter is my favorite as I'm convinced it creates the coarsest and most rope-like strands and frankly, I like my fritters to look like mops.
• In a large bowl, toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time, or wrapping it up in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheese cloth and wringing away. You'll be shocked (I was!) by the amount of liquid you'll lose, but this is a good thing as it will save the fritters from sogginess.
• Return deflated mass of zucchini shreds to bowl. Taste and if you think it could benefit from more salt (most rinses down the drain), add a little bit more; we found 1/4 teaspoon more just right. Stir in scallions, ginger, garlic, lemon zest, and egg and some freshly ground black pepper. In a tiny dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the mixture into the zucchini batter.
• In a large heavy skillet - cast iron is dreamy here - heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet only a few at a time so they don't become crowded and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula. Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter. I like to make sure that the fritters have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting and getting extra crisp.
• For the topping, if using, stir together the sauce ingredients and adjust the flavors to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving. These fritters are also delicious with a poached or fried egg on top, trust me.