Cooking Corner By Tim Lloyd Zucchini Flapjacks

Gardens in our neighbourhoods are flourishing. Herbs are overflowing, flowers are brilliant, tomatoes are starting to ripen and everyone keeps giving me Zucchini and Cucumbers. So, let’s make some Fritters and Tzatziki Sauce. I’m choosing to serve these with Tzatziki, but they can be served plain or with any Flavoured Aioli. Aioli is simply mayo with added flavours. We’ll tackle that another day.

ZUCCHINI FLAPJACKS / FRITTERS

The picture shows Flapjacks – 4 oz of batter. For Fritters I use a Tablespoon. Mold them any way you want.

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Zucchini…or so.

1 Cup Flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

Salt & Black Pepper

2 Tbsp Fresh Herb--Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, parsley or a combination. I used Oregano and Parsley.

6. 3 Eggs

7. 1 Garlic clove minced (or more if that’s you)

8. 1 Cup Cheese, shredded – Use any kind you have handy – Melty cheese like Gouda, Cheddar, Mozzarella

9. Whole Milk if necessary to thin the batter. Use carefully.

10. Vegetable Oil for Frying. – I used Olive Oil

Method:

1. Shred Zucchini through large holes of box grater. Water is the enemy. Mix 2 Tsp salt into the Zucchini and place Zucchini in a sieve and allow to drain for minimum 15 minutes. Longer, even overnight. Then, using cheese cloth, clean kitchen towel or clean hands, squeeze as much water out as possible.

2. In a large bowl Add: Flour, Baking Powder, 1 Tsp Black Pepper, 1 Tsp Salt, and Herbs. Mix.

3. Add: dried Zucchini, garlic, eggs and cheese. Mix well into a thick batter. If it seems too wet, add flour. If too dry, carefully add milk.

4. Divide into equal portions. I used a 4 Oz ice cream scoop. Plopped them into the pan and flattened them out with a spatula. Make them any size you want but they need to be about a half inch thick to cook nicely. Have fun, you’ll see.

5. Into a frying pan. Coat the bottom of a pan with the oil of your choice. NOT on high heat. If you have a thermometer, 300 degrees. We want them crispy and cooked through. Patience is a virtue. I cooked them at 5 out of 10 on my stove top. When golden on both sides, internal temperature was 175 degrees. Perfect. Done.

6. I placed mine on a cooling rack on a baking sheet with tinfoil underneath to make clean up easier. Enjoy hot, warm or room temperature. Delicious.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 English Cucumber

2. 1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

3. 1 Clove Garlic, minced

4. 2 Tbsp chopped fresh Dill – really important to this recipe

5. 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice plus some lemon zest if you’re okay with lemony flavour. I added the zest of most of a lemon. Fresh lemon can be a strong flavour. Perhaps add half and add more to taste.

6. 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

7. Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. To Peel or not to Peel? I peeled the cucumber and it was messy shredding. Any big bits that didn’t get grated, I simply chopped up. The real question is do you mind tiny green bits in the sauce? It’s a different look but makes no difference to flavour.

2. Shred the Cucumber using a box grater. Salt the cucumber and allow to drain for 15 minutes or more. Then squeeze the water out using cheese cloth, tea towel or hands. Just like the Zucchini, water is the enemy. Drier the better.

3. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper. Add more to suit your taste buds.

4. Allow to cool in the fridge for 2 hours or more, to allow the flavours to combine. Serve Cold.

Serve the Fritters as a side dish, appetizer or main course. I served 2 Flapjacks and a side salad as a dinner. The Tzatziki really made a difference.

Tzatziki is wonderful stuff and is really easy to prepare. It makes for a great veggie dip. Make double or more. Refrigerated in a sealed container it will keep well.

Tzatziki on Pita with marinated grilled chicken or beef or lamb, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion – You have yourself a Gyros Sandwich