Zucchini Fritters

The coming of August always signifies two things in the Rex garden: extra sunshine and behemoth zucchinis! My mother always frets about what to do with these flourishing squashes as the vines encroach upon an entire quarter of the garden. The plethora of uses for zucchini in cooking is often overlooked in typical American cooking: There are only so many fried zucchini sticks or chocolate zucchini bread pieces one can handle a year.

The Good News

Zucchini is a very versatile item to add to any summer menu. I find it to be particularly satisfying, as it tends to keep me feeling full for a long time. Given that the taste of zucchini is somewhat mild, it can be used as a substitute for less healthy options like potatoes, traditional pasta or white rice. Unlike other squashes, zucchini doesn't seem to disintegrate as easily. A quick search for zucchini nutrition revealed that it appears to be a good choice for weight loss or maintenance.

Zucchini Fritters: An Easy mid-day Pick-me-up

Ingredients

• 1/3 large zucchini squash or 2 small zucchini squashes
• 1 yellow summer squash
• 1/3 C flour (unbleached, all-purpose or wheat, your choice)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp italian seasoning (basil, oregano, fenugreek spice mix etc.)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 small yellow onion or 1/4 large yellow onion
• Salt to taste

Method of preparation

1. Grate the two squashes with a cheese grater into a large bowl.
2. Finely chop onion and garlic and add to grated squash, mix well with spoon.
3. Add salt to taste, mix well again.
4. Add egg and mix until all squash pieces are well coated.
5. Add flour and mix well until it forms a thick, piece-y batter.
6. Add Italian seasoning, black pepper, and chili powder.
7. Mix until homogeneous and thick, make sure there are no clumps of spices hanging around unmixed.
8. Heat a shallow frying pan on medium heat.
9. When pan is heated, add oil (just enough to liberally coat the bottom of the pan) and heat oil for a minute or so.
10. Once oil is heated, spoon in batter as you would a pakora or fritter and fry until golden brown.

Let me know what you think!

Simple Maida Ladoo (Adapted)

Unfortunately, it is difficult to find quality Indian sweets in the Reno area. Although we have have three different Indian grocery stores, the ready-made sweets are very expensive and taste manufactured. This is especially relevant to me, given my newly acquired insatiable sweet tooth. I did a few quick searches on google for ladoo recipes, and found one that allowed me to measure out the correct proportions of ghee, sugar and flour...AND it left room for plenty of innovation.

What the heck is a ladoo?

Ladoos are easy to make confections containing sugar, flour and ghee. They are always shaped as a small ball, and may contain added fruits, nuts or other flavorful tidbits. Ladoos appear during holidays, festivals and may even be used as a form of prasad. As a side note, chubby or fat people are sometimes lovingly referred to as a ladoo because they are both sweet and round!

Here are some links containing information on their origins, types and other interesting facts:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laddu
• http://www.life123.com/holidays/more-holidays/diwali/food-customs-in-india-diwali.

Basics: What you'll need

1. 1 C maida (regular flour)
2. 1/2 C white sugar
3. 1/2 C ghee or butter
4. 3 Cardamon pods, shell removed and finely chopped
5. 1/2 C peanuts/almonds/any fruit or nut you feel like adding

*This recipe was based upon Neha's from My Thoughts *

Methods: Technique

1. Fry the nuts/almonds/fruits for a few minutes in some ghee or butter
2. Add the maida and toast a bit, around five minutes
3. Partition the pan so that the flour/nuts mixture is to one side
4. Add the ghee and cardamom and melt until ghee is completely liquid
5. Combine and stir often for a few minutes until golden brown
6. Allow 10 minutes to cool and shape into balls

Gujarati taste test approved!