chickpea zucchini fritters
and a tzatziki recipe
Welcome to mamaeats, a twice-weekly newsletter (Tues. & Sat.) inspired by a simple + seasonal home life. I’m a mother of three, avid reader, gardener, and home cook who focuses on nourishing, whole food meals with a focus on plants. This newsletter is my labor of love—if you are not already, and are able to do so, please consider becoming a subscriber to support my work here, which takes time and effort. Doing so gives you access to all the archives and recipes (find the recipe index here), as well as cook-along videos which go along with most recipes. If a recurring payment is too much for you right now, but you’d still like to contribute, I’d be delighted to receive a one-off tip via my ko-fi. As always, thank you for being here, reading this newsletter, and sending me your thoughts.
There comes a point in any gardener’s (or perhaps everyone’s?) summer when one has the (delicious) problem of having too many zucchini, or a few overgrown zucchini. Although I check my plants scrupulously every day, it always seems that one or two evade my eye, their mottled green skin blending in among the jungle of Jurassic-sized stems and leaves that comprise a zucchini plant.
For times such as these, the answer in our house is always the same: fritters. Several times per summer, I cook Julia Child’s tian de courgettes au riz, and several times I make zucchini brownies, but otherwise it’s fritters for excess or large/old ones. Crisp outside, creamy within, and studded with whole chickpeas, these fritters are exceedingly easy to eat. They pair well with a creamy, fresh yogurt sauce and any other summer produce for a light summer dinner (although they are surprisingly filling). They are also loaded with fiber and nutrients, and most importantly make quick and tasty work of a few large zucchini. If you have any leftovers, my children love to eat them in a crusty baguette swiped with mayo and a ripe tomato.
some ideas for pairings for a good dinner (choose one or several):
roasted cubed potatoes and red peppers
steamed green beans
caprese salad
cherry tomatoes simmered with olive oil and garlic slivers until jammy
a hunk of baguette, fresh pita, focaccia, or other good bread
seared or grilled eggplant rounds
ice cold cantaloupe drizzled with olive oil and salt; or watermelon feta salad with mint, red onion
pan fried shisito peppers
a bowlful of good olives
zucchini chickpea fritters
yields around 7 fritters
notes: I love the fresh flavor of cilantro, but I’ve used parsley or even basil plenty of times depending on what I have on hand. I highly recommend the tzatziki to go with these, the creaminess and acidity make them pop. If you want something even quicker, just make a thinned yogurt: any creamy yogurt with a bit of lemon juice, a touch of olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt to taste. These have a rather mild heat as I have small children at home; increase the chile (or omit!) to your own household’s preference. You can also add spices such as cumin to vary the flavors. I know sometimes people are put off by pan frying; if you want to bake these I would try placing the formed fritters onto an oiled baking tray and brushing the tops with oil, then cooking for 30-40 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp, flipping halfway through. If you don’t have chickpea flour around, I imagine you could substitute all purpose flour or cornstarch.
700 g zucchini; this is around 2 medium for me
200g // 1 cup chickpeas, well drained and patted dry
¼ of a medium onion
60g // ½ cup chickpea flour
a small fresh green chile, or ½ tsp chile flakes
½ a small bunch cilantro, or other soft herb
oil for pan frying the fritters; I use olive
Coarsely grate the zucchini into a clean tea towel lined bowl, either using a food processor or a hand held grater. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt, toss to combine, and let sit at least 5 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Mince the onion and chile (if using fresh), and chop the cilantro.
Gather up the edges of the tea towel to enclose the grated zucchini, then wring out the liquid several times until the zucchini is dry.
Mix together the wrung out zucchini, whole chickpeas, chickpea flour, onion, cilantro, chile, and an additional ½ tsp salt until well combined. It might seem too dry at first, just keep mixing and squeezing with clean hands until it’s all combined. Form into fritters—I make mine the size of my palm, and it makes about 7. As you form the fritters, some of the whole chickpeas near the edges will fall out; simply pick these up and stud them in again, away from the edges.
Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a skillet (I love my cast iron one here) over medium high heat, and add fritters, mine fits 3 at a time. Let fry about 4 minutes on each side, it should be golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack (you can keep the rack in a warm oven to keep them hot if you like while you cook the remaining fritters). To the pan, add an additional 1-2 tbsp oil, letting it heat up again, then fry the remaining fritters. Eat while still warm, with the sauce below.
tzatziki
notes: For non-dairy yogurt, I prefer Cocojune original or the Trader Joe’s cashew-coconut yogurt. You can use any yogurt you like, of course, but you must have something completely unsweetened/plain, and preferably not too runny. If your cucumber has thick, tough skin, you may prefer to peel it; I don’t, as ours come from the garden and have a thin skin. As mentioned in the fritters note, if you don’t have a cucumber, or don’t have time to chop it/the garlic/the herbs up, a very quick and tasty option instead is to simply thin out the yogurt with a good squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkling of salt, and a small drizzle of olive oil.
a small clove of garlic
½ tsp salt
½ cup plain yogurt of choice
½ cup diced cucumber
a handful dill or mint, chopped
a drizzle of olive oil
a little squeeze lemon juice, or to taste
Chop the garlic, sprinkle it with salt, and using the flat side of the knife, scrape and work it into a fine paste. Add the garlic/salt paste to the yogurt, along with the cucumber and herbs and olive oil. Mix well and taste; add the lemon juice if needed, some yogurts are more sour than others. Serve dolloped on the plate to eat with the fritters.
the cook-along video
For paid subscribers (thank you!), find the cook along video for this recipe below. xx