Courgette fritters with minty yogurt.

 If you are still trying to get rid of a glut of courgettes you will love this!  I saw this recipe in the Summer 2011 BBC Vegetarian magazine and thought it looked really tasty.  I would make a couple of changes if I made it again though, so I have put the amended recipe on this post.  The courgettes are lightly salted and left to drain in a sieve for an hour before making the fritters.  I rinsed them well but, personally, still found them a little salty.  Next time I will not add salt to the batter and season just with black pepper to counteract this.  Mind you, my husband Terry loved them just as they were so I suppose it could be down to personal taste.

The minty yogurt goes really well with the fritters.  It is a variation on the Greek tzatziki, omitting the cucumber.  It is great as an accompaniment to meat, fish or vegetarian dishes and goes really well with a Greek salad or inside a grilled pita stuffed with cubes of marinated lamb and a little salad.  If you want the traditional tzatziki just add half a grated cucumber, squeezed dry. 

Tzatziki is often served as part of a Meze in Greece.  Meze is a selection of small dishes served for lunch or a light meal in some Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.  It compares with Tapas, served in Spanish-speaking countries. 

I remember the first Meze I had in Greece.  I was given a glass of raki to drink with it.  I’m not sure if the waiter was being kind or not.  Anyone who has ever had raki will know it is a very strong spirit, similar to grappa in Italy.  Many Greeks in the villages will make their own raki and I know some who have rubbed it on arthritic joints to ease the inflammation.  I’m not sure if the remedy works or if, after drinking a couple of glasses, you just lose all sense of feeling and become oblivious of the pain.  Terry absolutely hates raki, so whenever we are given a glass I usually have to drink them both.  Well, it would be rude not to!

Here is the recipe.  Serve it as a starter or have it for lunch.

Courgette fritters with minty yogurt.       Serves 4

• 225g/8oz courgettes, coarsley grated
• 100g/4oz ricotta
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Small handfull each of basil and flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Black pepper
• Olive oil for frying

For the minty yogurt

• 225g/8oz full fat greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• a little salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1. Put the grated courgettes in a seive and spribnkle with about 1 tsp salt.  Leave to drain for 1 hour.  Wash well and squeeze all moisture out.
2. Whisk the ricotta, egg and flour together in a bowl.  Add the garlic, herbs and season with pepper.  Mix in the courgettes.
3. To make the minty yogurt put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
4. Fill a frying pan with olive oil to a depth of about 1 cm.  Fry tablespoons of the fritter mixture over a medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown and cooked through.  Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the minty yogurt while still hot.

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