Rachel Roddy’s courgette and ricotta fritters. Spoon in 3 tbsp. I like these fritters as an antipasti with a squeeze of lemon. Watch too, that it doesn’t get too hot, smoke or burn. But it must be hot enough – 180C or 350F (or when a cube of bread dances energetically round the pan), at which point the heat seals the food, meaning less fat is absorbed. Mix the recipe around to suit you, using a variety of different herbs and even by replacing the ricotta with crumbled feta cheese. This gives the panko time to absorb some of the liquid in the batter and plump up. Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters Recipe - Mario Batali | Food & Wine amounts of the mixture into the oil and fry until lightly golden on each side. Add drained ricotta, egg, lemon zest, thyme, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Working in batches, add patties to pan and cook until browned and crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove them from the pan and place onto kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Stir well and add the chopped mint. For the sake of this column, it would have been convenient if Inspector Montalbano had eaten courgettes in some shape or form while investigating the death of engineer Silvio Luparello in The Shape of Water. The suggestion you can’t fry in olive oil is a silly one: rich in monounsaturated fats, which are highly resistant to heat, olive oil is one of the healthiest fats on the planet – ideal for frying and deep flavour. Nothing fancy or time consuming, just delicious. Olive oil does have an imposing flavour, which is not to everyone’s taste. Northern & Central Italian Family Cooking…. Grate zucchinis and remove excess liquid by squeezing the zucchini in small sections with your hands. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini (cut into sticks), ricotta, egg, lemon zest and 1 … Add the ricotta, parmesan, herbs and the grated courgette, and stir. Instead, while the Sicilian detective unpicks the web of prostitutes, pimps, judges, false clues and vendettas, he eats calia e simenza (roasted chickpeas and salted pumpkin seeds), pasta with oil and garlic, shrimps with lemon, roast peppers and Signora Elisa’s braised purpiteddri (baby octopus). My girls as normal are keen and eager to learn where my boys simply want to eat, full stop. This will be blatantly obvious, but just pull the pan from the heat for a while. Add the lemon zest, ricotta, salt, pepper, oregano and chilli. Wash and trim both ends of the courgettes. Serve as a side, with a salad or my favourite way would be squashed in between two sliced of rustic bread with roasted betters and rocket. These cook quickly, just three to four minutes per side. I am known as creator or should I say I tend to wing it at every available opportunity. 500g courgettes150g chickpea flour100ml water150g ricotta2 tbsp grated parmesan2 tbsp chopped basil, mint or parsleySalt and black pepperLemon wedges, to serve. This week’s recipe is a collision of three others, borrowing aspects from each. Let rest in fridge for 20 minutes. Stir well and add the chopped mint. I just love to open the fridge and say either mushroom risotto for dinner tonight or pea, pancetta and chilli pasta or likewise. I am aware of the faff, the inevitable splatters and sheen of oil, the sodden kitchen roll, but the payoff is the delight of fried things. Test the oil is hot enough by watching for when a cube of bread dropped in dances round in a coat of bubbles. of flour and stir to incorporate. I have never been particularly bothered by the smell of frying, taking the fan-on, kitchen-door-open, shower-cap-on approach. Into a shallow frying pan add the olive oil (covering the base of the pan) and heat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. No courgettes, but Salvo Montalbano does eat fresh striped mullet, fried to a delicate crisp and drained on absorbent paper. 1 small bunch scallions, white and light green part, coarsely chopped Please support this website by adding us to the whitelist in your ad blocker. In a large bowl, whisk the chickpea flour with the water until you have a paste. Add the flour, baking powder, cumin, egg, garlic, ricotta, dill, chilli flakes and lemon zest. What better way to get your vegetables in! In a large bowl, whisk the chickpea flour with the water until you have a paste. Olive oil can also be filtered and used again. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content – thank you! It’s a nice change in routine to get your veggies in in one little crispy and flavorful package. If the mixture is still a little wet, add the remaining flour and mix. Add more oil as needed. Throughout the summer months and when available I also add chopped courgettes flowers to the mix for a little colour and diversity. 10 fritters. dried oregano, marjoram or thyme Sprinkle of dried chilli 10 mint leaves, chopped 3 – 4 tbsp. Gather the ends of the tea-towel and twist hard over a bowl to catch the excess water squeezed from the courgettes. 00 flour Olive oil, as required. Add the grated courgette into a large bowl. The squashed and blemished tomatoes would be added into a stock, the slightly worse for wear brown tipped broccoli would go into a flavourful soup and the copious number of over purchased cucumbers for the children’s packed lunch boxes, would be braised with a little oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. As someone once told me, frying is all about the manoeuvres. Copyright 2019 Carmela's Kitchen | Designed by, ‘Northern & Central Italian Family Cooking’, Spinach spätzle sparrows with a taleggio drizzle. As for the frying oil, I use olive, which I think of as a hardworking ingredient rather than a means to an end, which justifies the cost. Add the ricotta, parmesan, herbs and the grated courgette, and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ingredients 2 medium zucchini, shredded 1/3 cup ricotta, drained 1 egg, beaten 1/2 to 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme Zest from one lemon 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon … It adopts the flour, water and courgette batter from Rosetta Costantino’s Calabrian pitticelle; borrows the ricotta, parmesan and herbs from the courgette patties I’ve made for years; while the use of chickpea flour is inspired by Madhur Jaffrey’s vegetable pakora. and drained on absorbent paper. 01 Squeeze the grated courgettes to remove the excess water, then tip into a bowl. With the help of a couple of average sized limp courgettes and a partially battered lemon I decided to make a small batch of ‘Courgette, lemon and ricotta fritters’. If not, add the remaining breadcrumbs. If the mixture is still a little wet, add the remaining flour and mix. Add 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs and mix until incorporated. Ingredients – Courgette, lemon and ricotta fritters 2 medium courgettes, grated 1 lemon, zest 250g ricotta Salt & pepper, to season 1 tsp. He doesn’t. Add salt and pepper to taste. Alternatively, use lard or, at a push, peanut oil. With this in mind I was in the depths of my large fridge and fancied something to accompany a light salad. Which is exactly what you want to do with today’s recipe, which is only Sicilian insofar as I made them here – courgettes from the stall at the end of the corso, ricotta from the supermarket deli counter – the coolest place in Gela at 10am on a Tuesday. Use a slotted spoon to nudge and turn them to make sure they fry evenly. Using the coarse side of a box grater, grate the courgettes on to a clean tea towel. I find this a challenge in such a positive manner as I try to instil this style of cooking with my children too. They could also be served as part of a meal, with tomato and salted ricotta salad maybe, or caponata, or even boiled potatoes with sweet red onion and capers.