“When I was a kid, my mom fried zucchini fritters when I got home from school; I would steal a couple while they were still hot,” says Didem Senol. “My grandmother fried them, too; she’d make the patties thin and dense. When I started cooking, I decided to work on my childhood recipe. I added herbs and feta and reduced the amount of flour to make them fluffier.” The fritters are terrific on their own or dipped into the yogurt-cucumber sauce. More Recipes for Fried Foods
How to Make It
Pile the shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt. Toss the zucchini well and let stand for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible and transfer the zucchini to a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, flour, dill, parsley, 1/4 cup of the mint and the feta. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and refrigerate the fritter batter for about 10 minutes.
In a food processor, coarsely puree the chopped cucumber. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of mint and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to 350°. Set a paper towel-covered baking sheet near the stove. Working in batches, drop rounded tablespoons of the fritter batter into the hot oil and fry, turning the fritters a few times, until browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fritters to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining fritter batter. Discard the paper towels and reheat the fritters in the oven for about 3 minutes. Serve the zucchini fritters hot with the cucumber-yogurt sauce.
