Greek Zucchini Fritters

Martha Shulman (goddess of the NY Times "Recipes for Health" section) summed up this recipe by calling them "zucchini latkes". And, indeed, that's exactly what they are. A bit messy, and "fall apart-y", and of course fried in oil, they are delicious and only slightly guilt inducing. More than simple zucchini, the taste of the dill and feta conjures fabulous images of the Mediterranean and summertime. Despite frying, mine remained soft and tender inside. I was in zucchini heaven.

The only problem with the recipe is the necessary hour wait time while the zucchini batter...does whatever it needs to do in the fridge for an hour. I'm not sure what would happen if I fried them immediately, but I can only surmise the hour in the fridge did them good.

You'll have to eat these the day you make them, sadly. They don't withstand another visit to the fridge as leftovers, turning into sloppy zucchini messes. But hey, joy is fleeting anyway, right?

Ingredients
2 pounds large zucchini, trimmed and grated on the wide holes of a grater or food processor
Salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as fennel, dill, mint, parsley (I like to use mostly dill)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1+ cup fresh or dry breadcrumbs, more as necessary
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup crumbled feta
All-purpose flour as needed and for dredging
Olive oil for frying

Method 

Salt the zucchini generously and leave to drain in a colander for one hour, tossing and squeezing the zucchini from time to time. Take up handfuls of zucchini, and squeeze out all of the moisture. Alternately, wrap in a clean dish towel, and squeeze out the water by twisting at both ends.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add the shredded zucchini, herbs, cumin, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste and feta. Mix together well. Take up a small handful of the mixture; if it presses neatly into a patty, it is the right consistency. If it seems wet, add more breadcrumbs or a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour. When the mixture has the right consistency, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or longer.

Heat 1 inch of olive oil in a large frying pan until rippling, or at about 275 degrees. Meanwhile, take up heaped tablespoons of the zucchini mixture, and form balls or patties. Lightly dredge in flour.

When the oil is very hot, add the patties in batches to the pan. Fry until golden brown, turning once with a spider or slotted spoon. Remove from the oil, and drain briefly on a rack.

Serve with plain Greek style yogurt if desired.

Serves six to eight.

Baba Ghanoush

 You may have noticed a preponderance of eggplant/aubergine recipes. I can only blame the abundance of the farmer's market. Well, that and the fact that every time I go, my roommate goes as well at a different time. We both arrive home to realize that we have each purchased 3 eggplants. Which makes a total of 6 to get through. Which results in massive eggplant-related recipes. I've been wanting to make this one  for a while and it came out beautifully. The entire bowl of this was gone in 2 hours or less.
So maybe using up all those eggplants wasn't as much of a chore as I thought...

Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants (about 4 pounds)

3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 ½ tbsp lime juice

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 spring onion, chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp harissa

½ tsp cayenne

½ cup Greek yogurt

Optional:

1 tbsp white truffle oil

2 tbsp sesame seed salad dressing

Preparation

Preheat an oven grill. With a paring knife, pierce the eggplants in several places. Place on a medium baking sheet and roast until skins are dark mahogany in color and flesh feels soft, about 50 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Split the eggplants, scoop the flesh into a colander, and press to extract excess liquid.

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir or use a food processor to pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust the lime juice and salt.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with warm pita bread.

Greek Frittata with Yogurt

 Again, another reason to use the fresh produce of the season (I sound like the spokesman for the organic lifestyle). My roommate had come home earlier in the week with her arms full of courgettes/zucchinis from the market and we spent the subsequent days trying to find new and unusual ways of using them up.
This frittata was an absolute win, not just for the ease in making it (absolutely foolproof) but its creamy texture when all it has is very waistline-conscious yogurt in it.
Yes, yes, it might call for 8 eggs, but you're getting good hearty yogurt and lots of veg in there as well. All in all a great main dish that also is very good cold when eaten for leftovers (or later that night...).

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 leek, white and light green parts, cleaned and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 pound winter squash or zucchini, cut in 1/4- to 1/3-inch dice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

8 eggs

1/2 cup drained yogurt or thick Greek-style yogurt

1/4+ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until tender, about three minutes. Add the garlic, stir together until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add the squash. Cook, stirring, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes for winter squash, about 8 minutes for zucchini. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the dill and the mint. Remove from the heat.

3. Place the remaining tablespoon of oil in a 2-quart casserole or in a 9-inch cast iron skillet, brush the sides of the pan with the oil and place in the oven. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Whisk in the yogurt and the Parmesan. Stir in the squash or zucchini mixture.

4. Remove the baking dish from the oven and scrape in the egg mixture. Place in the oven, and bake 30 minutes or until puffed and lightly colored. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Yield: Serves six to eight.

Advance preparation: The squash can be prepared through step 2 as far as a day ahead.