Thursday, June 11, 2009

Zucchini Patties with Feta


My family does not love summer squash (zucchini included). In fact, Curtis and I rather dread the start of the very long squash season. When Curtis saw what was for supper last night, his response was to groan and ask "Zucchini?" However, by the time the meal was over, Curtis had changed his mind. In Curtis's words, "we have gotten past the painful zucchini stage and found some recipes we like." This one he deemed repeatable.

We turned supper into a finger food type supper. With the exception of the zucchini patties (which we topped with sour cream and/or salsa), nothing else was eaten with a utensils. We had tomato slices, cucumber slices, thick, hearty wheat bread, and black olives. M didn't like the patties--I didn't expect her to since they had feta/goat cheese in them. However, the rest of us rather enjoyed them.

The original recipe suggested making this as an appetizer. It said it would make 18 patties. I made it as a main course and made 7 (you can make more or less depending on how big you want a serving). I also didn't have the parsley so I omitted it. My patties were much wetter so I added about 3/4 - 1 c of flour. They still seemed to moist. Instead of adding even more flour (I was scared they may taste doughy), I added about 1/4 - 1/2 c of bread crumbs. That did the trick.

Zucchini Patties with Feta
from Bon Appetit

2 1/2 c coarsely grated zucchini or yellow squash
1 t salt, divided
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/2 c (to as much as 1 c) of flour
1/2 c crumbled feta or goat cheese or a mixture of both
1 c fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 c onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 T fresh dill, chopped (don't leave this out!)

1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c canola oil

Toss zucchini (squash) and 1/2 t salt in large bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to sieve and press out excess liquid. Place zucchini in a dry bowl and mix in egg, yolk, 1/2 c flour, cheese, and 1/2 t salt. Mix in parsley, onions, and dill. Add extra flour (and even bread crumbs) if batter is very wet, a little at a time. Batter should be moist and will stick to your fingers, but it should be dry enough to be able to hold together as a patty long enough to put it in the pan.

Heat 2 T of olive oil and 2 T of canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Form patties with your hands and drop into skillet. Fry patties until golden, 5 minutes per side, adding more oils as needed. Transfer to paper towels and drain excess oil. Serve hot or at room temperature topped with sour cream, yogurt, and/or salsa.

1 comment:

Kate G. said...

Mmmm. I get busy over here and miss out on what you are eating for dinner! We had zucchini fritters for dinner last month - G made them. We were out of most cheeses recommended so he added brie and Parmesan. YUMMY. Even Z tried a bite.

Now I need to contact Johnson and see if we can get some tomatoes