We have a whole heap of courgettes growing in the garden at this time of the year. Different types; the ordinary supermarket variety green one, Rampicante, scallopini and baby kamokamo. Kamokamo are a Maori squash which can grow quite large and develop a hard outer shell to allow you to store them through winter. As they are so prolific, I often pick them at the young developing stage, and use them just like courgettes.
So when life gives you zucchini (courgettes), you make everything possible with them. Zucchini loaf, stew, soup, caponata and one of our favourites, fritters or patties! The recipe was given to me many years ago, when being vegetarian was seen as slightly hippy-ish and quirky. You weren’t often invited out for a meal, because Lord! What could you feed these Greenies?
So a kind new friend invited us out for a meal and blew us away with these fritters that she made for us. We enjoyed them so much, we left with a small container of leftovers for lunch the next day, and the recipe. So it became a family favourite over summer, and of course, as with all recipes shared, always brings to mind the person who shared it with us. Thanks Barb, wherever you are in the world now.
So the past few weeks, I have made 4 batches of fritters, 3 lots have been frozen for later use in winter. If you freeze courgettes for winter, they go soggy when defrosted, so this is a great way to preserve the integrity of those zucchini. Simply pop a piece of food grade paper wrap between each one and stack in reusable zip loc bags. (I reuse the ones I buy nuts and seeds in) Then when in a hurry, you can grab as many fritters as you need from the pack and give them a quick fry in a pan after defrosting. No fuss, no hassle.
Barb’s Courgette Patties Recipe
* 1 can chickpeas
* 1 Medium sized courgette
* 1 carrot or beetroot or kohlrabi grated
* 1 cup breadcrumbs
* 2 TBspn olive oil
* lemon juice to taste
* 1-2 TBspn Pataks Korma curry paste
Coarsely grate the carrot or beetroot.
Method:
Step 1 : Blend chickpeas in a food processor till smooth. Add curry paste, salt to taste, and lemon juice. Continue to blend it all together.
Step 2: Pour chickpea blend into a big mixing bowl.
Step 3: Add bread crumbs, beetroot or carrot and mix together. Hand mix the final step, so that the mixture is well blended.
Step 4: With wet hands, shape the patties and lay them out on a plate. They can be fried in a pan, or my preferred method is to lay them onto an oiled oven pan, to roast all of them together.
Be sure to paint oil on the tops of the fritters, and turn them around after 10 – 12 mins, so they can gently brown on the top and bottom. Each batch makes about 12- 16 patties, depending on their size.
If you are using carrots, the patties tend to be orange coloured, beetroot creates a reddish meaty look, and in experimenting with kohlrabi (because we grow them), the patties are light brown in appearance. All the patties are delicious, regardless of what root vegetable is used, so go ahead and experiment!
A favourite summer meal is our Veggie Burger, made with home-grown courgettes, tomatoes, kohlrabi or carrots, avocado (yes, we grow them!!) and lettuce. Aah, bliss…….
And the freezer is chocka -full of patties to tide us over till next summer’s courgette deluge! That’s what I call Sustainable Living at it’s Best!
