Greek Zucchini Fritters Kolokithokeftedes Recipe 445

GREEK ZUCCHINI FRITTERS KOLOKITHOKEFTEDES RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• NOTE: *If you only have regular yogurt, you will need to set it in a fine sieve or cheese cloth, overnight, to remove excess liquid. Greek Yogurt is much thicker in texture than regular yogurt. For the sauce: Mix yogurt, a grated clove of garlic, cucumber, the juice of 1 lemon and ½ teaspoon cumin. Refrigerate, to allow the flavors to marry, while you prepare the fritters. Wash the zucchini. With skins on, grate them with the coarse side of a grater (or a food processor, which I prefer). Remove the zucchini by the handful, squeezing to remove as much liquid as you can. You can also use a tea towel or cheese cloth. I use a ricer, which works brilliantly to remove a lot of liquid! This is important, or you could end up with soggy fritters. Put the grated and drained zucchini into a bowl with herbs, feta and green onions. Mix with a fork. Add the lightly beaten egg and stir. Add flour and panko bread crumbs. The mixture should be wet but not watery. Mix in a small dose of salt-- I prefer kosher salt. NOTE: Feta cheese already has some saltiness, so I went easy on the salt and I am glad that I did! Heat olive oil in a pan about 1/8 inch deep covering the entire pan. When the oil hot and shimmering, scoop out a spoonful of the zucchini mixture I used an ice cream scoop) and put it in the pan. Let the fritters cook about 3-4 minutes or until brown and then flip them. Cook another 3-4 minutes until browned. Remove fritters and place on a paper towel -lined plate to remove some excess oil. Serve hot with tzatiki sauce. If using regular yogurt, put yogurt in a cheesecloth lined sieve over a bowl. Drain several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Greek yogurt is thicker and does not need the draining. Peel, seed and coarsely grate cucumbers. Drain well. Add garlic, vinegar, olive oil, sat and pepper to cucumbers. Mix well. Add drained yogurt and blend.

KOLOKITHOKEFTEDES (GREEK ZUCCHINI FRITTERS)

Steps:

• Shred zucchini into a colander and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons salt. Allow to drain over the sink for 20 minutes.
• At the same time, mix water and flaxseed meal together until completely combined. Set aside and allow mixture to sit for about 10 minutes.
• Squeeze out liquid from onions and potatoes by wringing them in a clean tea towel over the sink. Set aside.
• Combine bread crumbs, mint, dill, parsley, lemon zest, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add flaxseed meal mixture and mix to combine.
• Rinse shredded zucchini very lightly and ring out any liquid in a tea towel. Add zucchini, shredded onion, potato, and carrot to the bread crumb mixture and combine. Add flour and baking powder and combine everything once more with your hands. Set aside to rest for at least 10 minutes on the counter, or up to 3 days, covered in the refrigerator.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a shallow frying pan over medium heat, making sure the oil doesn't burn.
• Scoop zucchini mixture in 1/3-cup portions and roll into balls your hands. Working in batches, add balls to the hot oil and gently pat into a patty. Cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes; flip and continue to fry until crispy and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining balls, adding 2 tablespoons more oil to the pan between each batch. Serve.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS (KOLOKITHOPITTA)

Steps:

• Grate the zucchini and put it in a colander. Sprinkle salt on top and leave it to drain for 1 hour.
• Beat the eggs lightly and place in a mixing bowl then add the rest of the ingredients (except zucchini).
• Drain the zucchini well between the palms of your hands and add to the mixture; mix lightly.
• Put the oil in a frying pan and heat well.
• To make each fritter use a tablespoon to take a scoop from the mixture and with the aid of another spoon push it into the frying pan.
• Fry the fritters for a few minutes until they are nicely browned. Drain on towels on a plate.

ZUCCHINI AND FETA CHEESE FRITTERS (KOLOKITHOKEFTEDES)

Steps:

• Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, and place the potato into the water. Boil until tender, about 20 minutes; remove and let cool. When cool enough to handle, finely dice.
• In a bowl, mix together the cooked potato, zucchini, egg, onion, mint leaves, feta cheese, and bread crumbs to make a mixture that holds together when pressed lightly.
• Place flour into a separate shallow dish. Form the zucchini mixture into small patties, and dredge patties in flour on both sides.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry the zucchini patties until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Drain the patties on paper towels; serve hot.

GREEK ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

Steps:

• 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.