Zucchini Fritters Mark II

Home for the long weekend and it was good to catch up with friends over a proper Melbourne latte.  I didn't realise how much I missed good coffee.  The options are fairly limited here in the Horse-Ham.  The cafeteria at work serves up a bland, watery concoction that barely gives me the caffeine hit I so desperately need on those cold country mornings.  I have yet to venture into the town to find a decent cafe but it's definitely on my to-do list.

One of my other projects on this trip was to learn to use my mum's espresso machine, now currently residing in its box on the floor somewhere in the vicinity of my kitchen.  My previous attempts at making a latte at home fell apart into a big frothy mess, with me not knowing how long to run a shot, nor how to properly steam milk.  However with some handy hints from my friend Alvin (yes you!) and video tutorials on Epicurious.com (plug!) I can smell the fresh aromas of single origin beans over the horizon.

But enough about coffee me thinks.  On to the main topic of today's blog.

Returning back to Horsham I realised I had some leftover zucchinis (or courgettes as the Brits call it) in the fridge, as well as the other ingredients I needed for the zucchini fritters.  I sensed a chance for redemption, for victory, zucchini matchsticks dancing teasingly across my eyes.  I determined to do things differently, or more to the point, I decided to follow the recipe.  Changes I made from last time:

• 1 egg only
• Separated the egg white to whip before folding into the mixture
• Less mint
• Cumin

And I have photos!

My pile of zucchini matchsticks.

My whipped egg whites.  I forgot my whisk, so I had to whip these by hand with a fork.  Not too bad!

The Fritter Mixture


And the result?

Much better I would have to say.  The cumin and lemon really added some extra flavour to what could have been another eggy disaster.  I'm not exactly sure what purpose the whipped egg whites had as they just collapsed again when I folded it back into the mixture.  And the fritters were still soggy!  I had imagined these nice, crispy fritters that would resound with a satisfying crunch when I bit into them.  Unfortunately they turned out to be a limp, impotent excuse for a light snack.  What went wrong?  What did I miss out on?  Then I read the recipe again.

 My biggest mistake it seems is that I was meant to leave out the soggy, floury middle bits of the zucchinis, leaving only nice, crispy matchsticks for the fritters.  Probably not the sole reason for my failure, but it may prove to the difference next time I make these.  And I will make these again, mark my words.  These bloody zucchini fritters are my white whale.