Wednesday, August 31, 2011

corn and zucchini fritters

These are great and a sneaky way to get in veggies for those that are not partial to them - like me!!  Well, I don't mind them but get sick of the same old preparations.  Enjoy!

Total Time: 45 min Prep 25 min Cook 20 min Yield: 6 to 8 servings Level: Easy

Zucchini-Corn Fritters
2 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 ears corn, kernels cut off
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
Vegetable oil, for frying

Toss the zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Wrap the zucchini in a kitchen towel and squeeze dry.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and egg in a large bowl, then stir in the corn-onion mixture and zucchini. Add the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.

Heat about 1/8 inch vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, scoop scant 1/4 cupfuls of the batter into the oil and use the back of the measuring cup to flatten the scoops. Cook until the fritters are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. (You can make the fritters up to 2 hours ahead; reheat in a 375 degrees F oven on a rack set on a baking sheet.)

* If you don't mind tossing half of an egg, I would definitely cut this recipe in half.  It made a ton and I am not sure how well they will reheat.  Do heed their advice on the portion size.  Much bigger and the middle doesn't get cooked fully.  Just make sure to thin them out thoroughly.  To make them healthier, I sauteed the veggies in olive oil instead of butter.  You might could even use 1/2 c of fat-free milk instead of the 3/4 c of buttermilk (they were plenty soupy) and try frying in olive oil.  I haven't tested these last two yet but they might work. *

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