ZUCCHINI BLOSSOM FETA FRITTERS + Zesty Yogurt Sauce

Zucchini Blossom Feta Fritters

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized zucchini roughly 3 cups grated
• 3 - 4 zucchini blossoms thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint
• 2 free-range eggs lightly beaten
• sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 150 g feta crumbled
• handful of grated Parmesan cheese
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup flour [GF: use brown rice flour or GF flour mix]
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ghee or coconut oil for frying

Instructions

• Strain the grated zucchini in a sieve, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. I like to sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt at this stage and leave to drain while I prepare the rest of the ingredients then squeeze again so to remove excess liquid that would otherwise make the fritters soggy.
• Combine the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl, stirring to combine then fold through the strained zucchini. The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape when dropped in the pan. Add extra flour if needed to thicken the mixture, adding 1 tablespoon at a time until the correct consistency is achieved.
• Heat a heavy-based frying-pan over a moderate heat. When hot, add a little ghee or oil, swirling it around the pan until the base is evenly coated. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the edges start to brown, then flip over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining mixture, adding extra oil to the pan between batches if needed. Serve with Zesty Yogurt Sauce.

Notes

Zesty Yogurt Sauce
Mix 1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt with 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 clove chopped garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Have you ever noticed how zucchini blossoms open overnight and close once the sun hits them. I love watching my garden breathe with life and energy. I can’t visually see the produce growing but I notice things like the zucchini blossoms opening and closing and the indoor grapes changing colour everyday. Our summer garden is a vibrant hive of activity with busy bees pollinating, cicadas chirping, and birds poking around where they shouldn’t – like my freshly sown peas or the ripe figs we can’t quite reach. I have given up caring about the fruit they eat as luckily there is plenty to share.

I feel the warm spring and recent rain (although not so great for the holiday makers) has been kind to the summer garden this year. All of our fruit is early and abundant. It started with the apricots, now early figs and white-fleshed peaches with greengage plums hot on their heels. Not long after we will be showered with plump grapes, juicy blackberries and omega plums as we scramble to preserve and freeze while the glut is in full force. So far I haven’t come home with boxes of ‘seconds’ from the market but this could still happen as we fill our pantry for bursts of summer during the cooler months.

Another produce of abundance is of-course zucchini. With the warmth and rain I can easily bet on finding a zucchini or two most days – or a marrow if I forget to check for a day. Zucchini plants do accommodate a fair amount of space in the garden, however, 1 – 2 plants would be sufficient for a small family. We have 3 plants and I know we will have more than we can eat in the coming weeks. I am planning some kind of pickle or gherkin type preserve with the excess. My favourite zucchini variety to grow from seed is black beauty – it’s a fairly standard looking zucchini with a lovely sweet flavour and always grows well in my garden. I often find I go back to the same seed that was successful in past years.

This year I have been dreaming of making goat cheese stuffed zucchini blossoms that are then battered and fried in olive oil until golden. But it hasn’t happened yet so I made the next best thing using the same flavours and ingredients. These fritters are a slight variation on my Fluffy Zucchini Fritters from my Feeding Little Tummies cookbook. This recipes is often referred to from readers as one of their families favourites.

Happy summer everyone, now that it has finally arrived!

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