Spinach Feta Fritters

As you may know, I have a well-documented fritter problem. If it's a vegetable and I like it, I'll probably try to turn it in to a fritter. Therefore, one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations--spinach, feta, pine nuts, and tomato--was just begging to be turned into patty form. Here's the result; I hope you like it.

Spinach Feta Fritters

• 2 bunches fresh spinach (a little less than 2 lbs)
• 2 eggs
• rounded 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons canola oil

Set a very large pot of water on the stove to boil. In the meantime, fill a large bowl with water. Cut the stems off the spinach bunches, and place the leaves in the bowl of water. Swish them around until all the dirt is removed, and place the leaves in a colander.

While you'res still waiting for the water to boil, toast the pine nuts in a toaster oven or a 350 degree oven. When the water boils, add the spinach and cook until tender but still bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove the spinach to the colander. There's really no need for an ice bath.

When the spinach has cooled, squeeze the water out of it. Don't drive yourself crazy, though--it doesn't have to be completely dry. Chop the spinach as fine as you can, again without driving yourself crazy.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, feta, tomato sauce, lemon juice, pine nuts, flour, salt, pepper, and spinach, and mix well. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add enough spinach mixture to the pan to make a patty that's about 3 inches in diameter.

Cook until the top starts to look a little firm, and the bottom edges look a little dried out. Flip--the top should be nicely browned. Cook the other side until golden brown, just a little longer (the second side will cook faster than the first).

Taste this fritter and adjust for seasoning--add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice as necessary. Also, if the batter is too thin, add a little bit of flour. Once the seasoning is correct, cook the rest of the batter in the same manner, adding more oil to the pan as necessary.

Corn Fritters, Home-Ground Burgers, Caramelized Onions

It's summer, so all I want is corn, corn, corn. Well, not really. But with highly seasonal ingredients, I like to eat copious amounts of them--to the point where I've totally OD'd and don't even want to think about said ingredient any more.

You see, that way, I don't mind that whatever I'm binging on is highly seasonal and I won't be eating it again for almost a year. No problem! I don't want to anyway! No pining for tomatoes with basil in the middle of January. Nope, I'm okay with some Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.

So how was I to eat this corn? We had already made our Golden Corn Chowder, and I wasn't in the mood to make the Creamless Creamed Corn (coming soon). In fact, I wanted something all-new, something all made-up.

As you may know, I have a zucchini fritter problem. I'm almost successfully rehabilitated, so I figure it's time for a corn fritter addiction. Bring it on.

Corn Fritters

• 6 ears of corn, the kernels cut off
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 jalapeno, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 scallions, light and dark green parts, finely sliced
• Hot sauce (optional)

Place the corn kernels in a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cumin, and taste for seasoning. Add the eggs, flour, and sour cream, and mix to incorporate. Add the jalapeno, pepper and scallions and mix again.

In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons canola oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, drop the batter into the skillet to make fritters that are about 4 inches in diameter. Cook until the very outer edges start to look dry; some bubbles may appear. This will likely take about 6 minutes, and when flipped, the fritter should appear golden brown.

Cook on the other side until light golden, about 3 minutes.

I like to serve them with hot sauce and sour cream.

 We enjoyed these with home-ground burgers, which were awesome. As you probably know, store-bought ground meat should not be served medium-rare or medium because all the bacteria that was on the outside is now on the inside where it's multiplying exponentially. Therefore, unless the ground meat product is cooked all the way through, you may get some dangerous nastiness in your meal.

However, if you buy a big hunk of meat and grind it at home, using sanitary technique, of course, then you can eat the ground meat product even if it's cooked to medium-rare or medium.

For this reason, I invested in the inexpensive grinder for the Kitchenaid stand mixer. I'm not a fan of dried out, killed burgers, and it's not a good idea to order 'undercooked' burgers when out in a restaurant. So I figured I'll do it at home.

In fact, this batch was accidentally cooked to medium-well, and they were still better than the average burger, most likely because we used quality meat and treated it right.

So if you decide to get a grinder attachment, here's how to make some yummy burgers:

Home-Ground Burgers

• 1/2 pounds chuck
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Cut the chuck into 1-inch pieces. Season the meat with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. When the meat is firm to the touch but not frozen through, pass it through the grinder.

Gently form the meat into patties. You don't want to over handle the meat, as it will make the burgers less tender. Grill to the desired doneness. Serve with your favorite fixin's.

We served ours with the standard lettuce, tomato, and raw onion. We also had bacon, because we can. Aaaaannd, we had Nick's awesome caramelized onions, otherwise known as 'tadpoles.' Here's how to make them:

Nick's Awesome Caramelized Onions

(a.k.a. "Tadpoles")

Cut an onion or two into thin slices. I read somewhere that if you go along the lines of the onion, then you break fewer cells, so you get less sulpher-y tasting slices. I don't know if that's true, but that's what we do.

In a small pan, melt a tablespoon of butter. When the foaming has subsided, add the onions. In a few minutes, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Cook the onions over very low heat for at least 40 minutes, and up to an hour or two. Stir occasionally, and add a little bit more butter if the onions start to dry out. The onions are done when they are a deep golden color, and they're so tender they're almost melting. Or until you're just sick of cooking them.

 

A Summer Obsession: Zucchini Feta Fritters

(The first flower of the year--an anemone)

Last year, this was an oft-repeated conversation around our place:

Nick: So what are we having for dinner?
Me: Uuuuummmmm...I kinda sorta wanted to make some zucchini patties.
Nick: (Eyes widening in disbelief) Seriously? Really? Again?
Me: Yeah, sorry. I can make another side for you.
Nick: Um, that might be a good idea.

I had thought that last year's hard-core addiction to these zucchini fritters would have cured me of my never-ending lust for their vegetable-y, cheesy goodness. But it didn't. When I told Nick the other day that I wanted to make them just once in honor of the start of summer, this pronouncement again had the Eye-Widening Effect. "Is this going to be a problem?" he asked.

"I don't think so," I said, "I think I can make them just this once and be okay."

Five batches later, Nick is again begging for mercy and I'm considering zucchini rehab.


I think you should try these fritters, although Nick might beg to differ. Their herby, zucchini-y lightness is perfectly countered by the saltiness of the feta cheese. They're not too heavy to make an enjoyable summer treat, but at the same time they're wickedly satisfying in the way patties of pan-seared, shredded vegetables tend to be. These are extremely easy to whip up, and they're delicious hot, at room temperature, and even cold. They're great as sides, appetizers, or snacks. 

Zucchini Feta Fritters

(Adapted from Epicurious)

• 3 cups coarsely grated zucchini (from about 3 medium)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup (or more) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon chiffonade (cut into ribbons) fresh basil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more as needed

Toss zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to sieve. Press out excess liquid; place zucchini in dry bowl.


Mix in egg, yolk, 1/2 cup flour, cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in parsley, onions, and basil. If batter is very wet, add more flour by spoonfuls. However, if liquid is leaking out because the batter has been sitting for a few minutes, do not add more flour. Only add more flour if the homogeneous batter is runny. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon canola oil in large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into skillet, and flatten to a 1.4 inch thickness. Fry patties until golden, about 5 minutes per side, adding more canola oil as needed.


These can be made a day ahead of time and rewarmed in a 350 degree oven. They can also be made ahead of time and served room temperature.

Epicurious suggests that these patties be served with plain Greek yogurt, but I find it unnecessary. The last time I made these, I added a couple tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, which was quite nice, but it's optional.