Zucchini Feta Fritters

Intermediate Cook - Medium Cooking Time - Appetizer - Vegetarian

These zucchini feta fritters are a great appetizer or finger food on a hot summer day. The saltiness of the Feta and the freshness of the mint, combine with the Zucchini to make a delicious and refreshing treat.  Since discovering this recipe, it has become a staple summer "meze" (Greek for small dish) in our home. These bite size wonders are particularly handy given that they can be eaten hot or cold. There is also a casserole version of this recipe, which I will post at a later date. In the meantime, have fun trying out these little summer fritters.

Ingredients (yields ~ 48 fritters)

• 4 cups shredded zucchini (~ 3 size medium zucchinis)
  
• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped mint or dried mint
• 1 egg
  
• 8 ounces feta cheese
  
• 1/2 medium size red onion
  
• 1/2-3/4 cup all-purpose unbleached white flour*
• Olive oil for frying

* The amount of flour needed will vary based on the brand used. See related details in the process steps below.

Time - 55 minutes

• Preparation - 25 minutes
  
• Cooking - 30 minutes
  

Preparation

• Wash the zucchini and grate over a large bowl. When grating, be sure to use the larger grating surface as shown below

• Remove some of the water from the zucchini by placing it in a pasta strainer in the sink and squeezing the zucchini with your hands
• Once you have squeezed all of the water out of the zucchinis, place them back in the bowl
• Peel and cut the onion in half
• Grate the onion over the large bowl using the same grating surface as the zucchini

• Crumble the feta and add to the bowl
• If using fresh mint, chop the mint
• Add the mint and egg to the bowl
• Mix all of the ingredients together. The mixture will resemble a feta/zucchini pancake batter
• Begin adding flour one tablespoon at a time. Each brand of flour will absorb moisture differently. You will likely need to add between 8 and 12 tablespoons of flour to your batter until it becomes pasty enough to form two bite size dollops for frying

• Pour olive oil in a large pan, such that the bottom of the pan is covered with approximately one inch of olive oil
  
• Heat the olive oil on medium-low heat
• Once the oil is hot, place medium size dollops of batter in the oil
• Fry the fritters for approximately 3 minutes on each side, until a rich golden brown
• Note that the amounts described in this recipe will yield approximately 48 fritters. The 30 minutes noted above for cooking time estimate that your pan allows you to fry 10 fritters at once

• Once the fritters are rich golden brown on both sides, remove them from the pan and place them on a paper towel lined plate for a few minutes. The paper towel will absorb some of the excess oil on the surface of the fritter
  

• After a few minutes, move the fritters from the plate onto a cooling rack. This allows the fritters to cool without becoming soggy on the bottom side of the fritter

• While it can be difficult to resist eating these fritters right out of the frying pan, they will taste best if given 15-20 minutes to cool. This will not only keep you from burning your mouth, it will also allow the center part of the fritter to thicken slightly in consistency as the feta cools