Del-icious!: I say courgette...you say zucchini..let's just make some fritters

Every time I go to a farmer's or farm market, I buy some courgettes with the intention of making these fritters. Very seldom do I get around to it. I first discovered the recipe in Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries book, where I was blown away by the little cakes, crispy and golden brown on the outside and herbal and fresh inside with dill and feta. For a while, whilst low carbing, I tried to make them without the addition of flour, which really is necessary to bind them together properly and avoid the sloppy mess I was getting. They also possess that magical good feeling you get when you are eating some of your day's worth of vitamins and minerals in a very creative and delicious way, like a recipe you would find in a 'farm to table' book. Here they are in all their glory, slightly adapted with different herbs and Cheddar and Parmesan rather than Feta.

Recipe : Courgette fritters

Originally adapted from Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries

2 green courgettes or 1 green and 1 yellow patty pan squash, (see above)

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely diced

1/2 onion, peeled and finely diced

1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, savoury and thyme

1 egg

3 - 4 tbsp all purpose flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper

oil for frying

Grate the courgettes and / or squash onto a double sheet of kitchen towel and spread out fairly evenly. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp salt and place another double sheet of kitchen towel over the top, weighing down with something fairly heavy if you want. Set aside for about 20 - 30 minutes. This will draw out some of the moisture and result in a crisper fritter.

Place the onion, garlic, cheeses and herbs in a bowl and mix well. Gather the ends of the kitchen towel with the courgettes together and squeeze tightly over a sink several times to squeeze as much water out as possible. (This is where strong kitchen towel is handy, otherwise the whole thing may break and fall in the sink). Add the courgette to the other ingredients in the bowl and mix well. Break the egg into a small bowl and whisk until frothy, then add to the courgette mixture and stir well until incorporated. Now add salt and pepper, (easy on the salt as you sprinkled 1/2 tsp on the courgettes already) and then add the flour, a tbsp at a time until the mixture is fairly well bound together.

Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a frying pan over medium heat until very hot and then add spoonfuls of the fritter mixture. If you want to be really fancy, you could use some of those metal rings and get a perfectly round fritter, but irregular, rustic shapes look more homely. Let the fritters cook for a few minutes and then turn them over with a spatula. They should be golden brown on one side and easy to flip. Cook them for a few more minutes on the other side and then drain on kitchen towel.

Serve with a dipping sauce if desired, such as sweet chili or chutney. They make a nice snack or lunch with some bread or salad.

Optional extras : If you have some of the beautiful zucchini flowers to hand, you could chop these and add to the mixture. They have a mild zucchini taste and look very pretty.

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