Turkish Zucchini Fritters

I am a collector of recipes and not only do I have over a thousand cookbooks, (yes, that many!) I tear out recipes from newspapers and magazines, then, categorize them into the appropriate notebooks.    This recipe, which uses zucchini, caught my eye yesterday as I was perusing through the Pacific Northwest magazine in our Sunday newspaper.

I remember the first time I helped my grandparents plant zucchini in the garden.  They had me make mounds down the rows, then, plant 3-4 seeds in each one.  My Grandfather said, "that's to make sure we get at least one plant coming up."  However, more times than not, we had to pull up the extra seedlings.  Anyway, can you imagine how many zucchinis a fifty-yard row yields?  A LOT!  We had zucchini sauteed with onions, stuffed, pickled, and baked into many, many loaves of bread.  Over the years, I've become somewhat obsessed when I find a zucchini recipe and save it for when the abundant season comes my way.

I no longer have a vegetable garden, but do have access to the Farmer's Market and can load up on these dark green gems during the summer.  This recipe has the addition of crumbled feta cheese (a typical cheese from the Mediterranean area) along with some herbs, which was different from the the previous recipes I have for Zucchini Fritters and/or Pancakes.  If it's any indication of how they tasted, my DH said, "best fritters ever!!"

Turkish Zucchini Fritters (Mucver)

For Fritters:

1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 4 medium) grated

Salt to taste

3 eggs

1/4 cup finely chopped herbs (flat-leaf parsley, dill, mint)

1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts, finely chopped

1 T paprika

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup olive oil or as needed for frying

Place grated zucchini in a colander.  Sprinkle generously with salt and let sit for 10 minutes to draw out the water.  

Squeeze handfuls of the zucchini to extract as much liquid as possible.

Place the drained zucchini in a large bowl and mix in the eggs, herbs, onions, paprika and pepper until well combined.  Add the flour and stir until just incorporated, then, stir in the feta cheese.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Drop generous spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil, making sure the fritters don't touch.  Flatten them slightly so they're about 1/2-inch thick and fry them until golden brown on each side, 4 to 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towels and repeat until all the batter is used.  Serve hot, topped with the yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Sauce:

2 cups plain yogurt

2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed to a paste

Salt to taste

Blend the yogurt and garlic and salt to taste.  Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes for the flavors to blend.

These fritters are a wonderful addition to the many recipes I have using zucchini.  And, along with fresh corn on the cob, our summer dinner was perfect.   Thanks to Melissa Kronenthal, a freelance food writer and photographer, for this recipe that is a "keeper."  Enjoy!

Farmer's Market Ratatouille

We're really quite lucky living in an area where farming is still an important family business and I make sure my Saturdays, during May through October, include a trip to our local farmer's market in Redmond to support them.  I know the produce is fresh and I love talking with the people about their gardens--it makes me yearn for the times growing up and helping my grandparents with their vegetable garden.  Passing by the many booths my mind is filled with all sorts of recipes, but yesterday I was craving Ratatouille.

Ratatouille is a traditional French Provencal dish of stewed vegetables, originating in Nice.  In fact, the full name is actually ratatouille nicoise.  It's usually served as a side dish, but can also be a meal on its own.  The vegetables needed for ratatouille include: garlic and onions, courgettes (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant) poivron (peppers) and tomatoes, in addition the following herbs: basil, oregano, marjoram and thyme .  Julia Child made this dish by first sauteing the courgettes and aubergine, then, she layered these vegetables with the other ingredients in a casserole and baked it in the oven.  I have also seen recipes where the vegetables are grilled first and then layered to bake.

However, I have my own unique version--I like to roast my vegetables sans the tomatoes, then, place everything in a Dutch oven to cook on top of the stove adding canned "Fire-roasted" tomatoes.  I usually serve it as a side dish, but yesterday, I also made polenta that I grilled as a base for my ratatouille.

Roasted Ratatouille

2 medium aubergines (eggplants), peeled, sliced and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2-3 medium courgettes (zucchini) sliced and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 head of garlic, peeled and diced

1 large shallot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 can (28oz) Muir Glen Fire Roasted Whole Tomatoes

1 can (16 oz) Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes

1 tsp. dried Oregano

1 tsp. dried Basil

1/2 tsp. dried Majorem

1/2 tsp. dried Thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for roasting

Preheat oven to 400F-degrees.

Prepare the vegetables.  Place all the vegetables, except the tomatoes, in a large bowl.  Toss with 1/4 cup or more of olive oil.  Transfer the vegetables on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

Roast vegetables for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes for even browning.  I started the polenta while the vegetables were roasting.  When the vegetables have reached a golden brown color, transfer to a 6-quart Dutch oven.  Add the canned tomatoes--for the whole tomatoes, I squeezed them in my hands to break them up while I added them.

Cover pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stir and lower temperature to a simmer.  

I used Bob's Red Mill polenta and followed the directions on the back of the packaging.  I added a cup of cheese mixture--mozzarella, fontina, and Parmesan.  When it had thickened, I poured it onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Spread evenly then, cover with parchment and let set for an hour.  It will firm up and I cut it into squares, then, triangles.  I brushed the top side of the triangle with a little olive oil and place it "face down" onto a hot grill pan.  I grilled it over medium/high heat for about 5 minutes each side, brushing the top side before turning it.

As a vegetarian, this was a complete meal for me, but I did a piece of salmon and a few shrimp on a alder plank for my hubby.  Sprinkle the top with additional grated Parmesan.

This is a wonderful dish to celebrate the harvest!  I felt like I was back in my grandparent's kitchen, bringing in baskets of vegetables to decide what we'd make.  Enjoy!

Spanakopita...Oompha!

I won't pretend to be Greek, but the great thing about having lived all over the country, I met a wonderful friend when we lived in Thousand Oaks, California, who was of Greek heritage and she taught me a thing or two about their cooking.  I first had spanakopita at their son's baptism reception and fell in love with the flavors.  The feta and spinach "marry" beautifully together enveloped in phyllo dough--what's not to like!


This savory dish is mostly eaten as a snack in Greece. I've done an appetizer version with the phyllo cut in strips and folded (like a flag) into a triangle, which is my husband's favorite, but tonight I wanted to make it as a main dish, accompanied by a salad for a light Spring dinner.  I will admit, I've never attempted to make homemade phyllo dough and not likely to do so in the near future since good quality phyllo can be purchased at any grocery store.

One pound of phyllo comes with two wrapped rolls and this recipe only requires one, so freeze the other one for a later use or make up a batch of Baklava...which is for another day.

Spanakopita
1 lb. pkg. Phyllo dough (defrost in the refrigerator)
16 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1 T olive oil
3 shallots, minced

In a medium saute pan, saute the shallots in the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the entire bag of chopped spinach and stir together.  Lower heat to medium/low and continue to cook until all the moisture (that is released from the spinach) is absorbed.  Set aside to cool.

12 oz. (about 2 cups) Feta cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 chopped parsley
2 tsp. dried dill or 2 T fresh dill
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 T Italian bread crumbs

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, then, fold in the cooled spinach.  

Melt 12 T (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
Grated Parmesan or a combination of Parmesan/Romano cheese (which is what I used)
Preheat oven to 400F-degrees


Butter a 9" x 13" Pyrex dish with butter.  Place the first sheet of phyllo dough down and brush it with butter.  (Keep a damp towel over the remaining phyllo to keep it fresh).

Continue to place a single layer of phyllo and brush with butter until you have 12 layers.  Spoon the filling on top of the phyllo and spread smoothly.  Layer a sheet of phyllo on top of the filling, then, sprinkle with the grated cheese.  This step, as I discovered in Cook's Illustrated, keeps your top layers from lifting as the cheese melts and "cements" the layers.

Continue layering and buttering until the remaining phyllo sheets are used (approximately 6 or 7).  Brush the final top layer and sprinkle with cheese.  

Place the glass baking dish on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Cool about 10 minutes and cut into squares.


One of my favorite movies in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and I watched it last week when I was in Kentucky with Ari.  The movie reminded me of my friend and my introduction to their cuisine, almost 30 years ago.  Enjoy!