Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki Sauce

I'm not sure why but I really wanted to try zucchini fritters. Ok, who am I kidding? It's because I love anything fried (and anything called fritter) and the zucchini make it sound healthy so I don't feel too bad about it! I pan fried these fritters so it's not that unhealthy. For this recipe, I turned to kalofagas, my source for all Greek food.



Zucchini Fritters
I strayed slightly from the main recipe, mainly because of ingredients I had on hand.
Adapted from Kalofagas.

* 2 whole zucchinis, washed and grated
* salt
* 1 small onion, diced small
* 1 scallion
* fresh mint, to taste
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 large egg
* ½ cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
* ¼ cup feta cheese (or to taste)
* salt and pepper, to taste (not too much salt since the feta is salty)

* Grate the zucchini and sprinkle salt over it.
* Allow the liquid from the zucchini to leach for a couple of hours in a strainer (I'm pretty sure I wasn't this patient and probably waited 15 minutes).
* Place the grated zucchini inside a cheese cloth, twist and turn to help squeeze out as much liquid as possible. (I used the little makeshift cloth package my mom sewed me for the homemade soy milk.)
* Place the zucchini in a bowl and set aside.
* In a skillet, cook the onions in oil until softened.
* Mix all of the ingredients with the zucchini.
* In a skillet, fry a small meatball and adjust seasoning to taste.
* Form patties and pan fry in oil on each side, 3-5 minutes per side.
* Serve with tzatziki sauce.



Call me crazy but I find squeezing out the liquid very satisfying work.

Tzatiki Sauce
I like to use my lemon zester to grate garlic. It helps transform the garlic into a juicy paste. I do this for hummus too.

* 1 cup of plain yogurt
* ¼ or so cucumber section, seeded and cubed very small
* juice of ¼ lemon, or to taste
* 1 clove garlic, minced or grated (or more depending on how garlicky you like it)
* salt, to taste

Mix all ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste (that's all there is!).
Tada!


Cubed cucumbers go into tzatziki.

I had the fritters with a side of quinoa as a meal. I was going to share the quinoa recipe but really don't remember what I did with it except that it involved jalapeno. A side of salad would also be good. And these fritters would definitely be popular as an appetizer!



More fried recipes that I like (I thought I had more - I'll have to change that!):
* Crispy Zucchini Flowers stuffed with Ricotta and Mint
* Corn Spring Rolls
* Pumpkin Fritters (perfect for upcoming Thanksgiving!)