Рецепт Zucchini, Corn and Parmesan Fritters
I’ve always gotten a kick out of
stories of massive Zucchini crops suddenly emerging in August and causing their
growers to wonder what on earth to do with all of them. When I was in Elementary School, I distinctly
remember a classmate whose mother’s solution was to send her son armed with enormous
bags of Zucchini to school each day. He
was quite systematic in his giving. He
would go to a different teacher’s classroom every day and deposit a bag on her
desk, beaming. The first teacher was
overwhelmed with his mother’s largesse.
But by the end of the week the last teacher was simply overwhelmed,
likely because Teachers #1, 2, 3 and 4 had already shared the bounty of
Gordon’s mother’s garden with all their fellow teachers. Did she go home and make Zucchini bread? Or
Zucchini pickles? I can’t help but hope that she made Zucchini Fritters because
undoubtedly Gordon and his well-intentioned mother would have been
forgiven. These wonderful cakes, fried to a crisp, are an
American classic. Did you know that Crab
Cakes are actually fritters? And while
you can make them with everything from apples to pineapples to peas, the
season’s bumper crop of Zucchini and Corn make an irresistible fritter. Especially when freshly grated Parmesan
cheese is added to the batter.
That’s
what I made one night last week. We were
having a round of houseguests this weekend and there seemed to be no limit as
to how much food we were going to consume. So anything I could do in advance was as
welcomed as our guests. I admit to a
little trepidation in making something on a Wednesday that was going to have to
hold out until Friday but my fritters came through with flying colors. I completed the whole recipe, which yields 24
good-sized fritters. Andrew and I
taste-tested them with our Wednesday night steak dinner and pronounced them
delicious. I refrigerated the rest between
sheets of paper towel in a airtight container. On Friday, I put them all on
wire racks set atop sheet pans, turned the oven up to 375 degrees and in about
12 minutes, they were bubbling crisp in the oven and ready to serve. They were
a huge hit with our guests. Dolloped with sour cream, they all disappeared in
no time. Here is the recipe which takes
very little time and yields something you will truly be proud of.
Recipe
for Zucchini Corn and Parmesan Fritters
Prep
Time 25 Minutes. Cooking Time 20 minutes. Makes 24 3 inch fritters.
3
medium zucchini, coarsely shredded
3
- tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1
- white onion, finely chopped
- 3
- cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3
- ears corn, kernels cut off
- 1
- cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
- Vegetable
- oil, for frying
- 1.
- Toss
- the zucchini with 1-teaspoon salt in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Wrap the
- zucchini in a kitchen towel and squeeze dry.
- 2. 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.
- 3. Whisk
- the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 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.
4. 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.
NOTE: You can make the fritters up to 2
days ahead; refrigerate fritters in an airtight container, reheat in a 375 degrees F oven on a rack set on a baking sheet for about 12 minutes.