Boy, did those dictionary people get that one wrong!
These Zucchini Green Olive and Feta Fritters are in no way a waste of time. They have that wonderful crispy bit that you crave in a fritter. The center of the fritter is moist and substantial. The feta and green olives give the fritter a delightful bite. So, make these. They are wonderful.
Fritters have been a popular food for a very long time. In western cooking, references to fritter-like dishes date to the 14th Century where they were popular in royal courts, as a cheap street food and at festivals and fairs. A Medieval cookbook from the reign of Richard II showcases a fritter made from apples, sugar and spices., for example. Beyond Europe, fritters enjoyed considerable popularity, too, as foods like Indian pakoras and Japanese tempura.
This is not Blue Cayenne’s first rodeo with fritters either. We have a couple of great recipes here already. For example, these Zucchini and Carrot Fritters shine: Zucchini and Carrot Fritters.
This recipe is from Julia Turshen cookbook, Simply Julia.You can buy this cookbook through your local bookstore and on Amazon here.
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Zucchini, Green Olive and Feta Fritters
Ingredients
- For the Sauce
- 1/2 C. full-fat plain regular (not Greek) yogurt
- 1 T. lemon juice
- 1 garlic love (minced)
- 1/4 t. kosher salt
- For the Fritters
- 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
- 2 T. cornstarch
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. kosher salt
- 1 large zucchini (coarsely grated and squeezed dry)
- 1/4 C. green olives (pitted, chopped)
- 1/4 C. feta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 large egg (lightly beaten)
- 1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil
- Lemon wedges for garnish
Directions
- Step 1 To make the sauce, combine all ingredients. Whisk. Set aside.
- Step 2 To make the Fritters, combine flour, cornstarch,, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix well to combine.
- Step 3 Grate zucchini. Put it in a towel and twist the grated zucchini to squeeze out as much of the zucchini’s “water” as possible. Mix the grated zucchini with the flour mixture.
- Step 4 Add. olives, feta and egg to the zucchini/flour mixture. Stir to combine.
- Step 5 Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. You want the zucchini batter to sizzle when the fritters are fried in the oil. Once the oil is hot enough, spoon tablespoons of the batter into the oil. Use the back of a spoon to press the batter into a flat fritter to fry. Fry the fritters for about 3 minutes on one side and then flip and fry for about 2 minutes on the other side. You want the fritters to be nicely browned. (You can add a bit more oil to the pan as you fry the fritters if that is necessary.)
- Step 6 Remove the fritters from the pan and let them dry a bit on a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle the tops of the fritters with a bit of salt.
- Step 7 Serve immediately with the sauce and slices of lemon.
