Sweet Summer Squash Fritters

My commitment to blogging has waned in recent months. I’d like to pretend that my pervasive laziness is due to an exceptionally taxing day job or having to chase after children, but those would be lies. My contribution to society has been more or less limited to financially supporting the wine industry and Manhattan bodegas. I have a rooftop just begging to hang out with me and my wine glass at the end of my 9 to 5.

Summer is here, and New York has slipped into humid, dripping window-AC “bliss”. I spent a week in Costa Rica (posts to come soon—see “laziness” explanation above) and am already aching to be away again. Luckily, I have a kitchen with a very large window for ventilation, thus rendering my summer cooking endeavors bearable. My latest recipe was an experiment with summer squash, which is rampant in Fairway right now. It’s easy to manage, sweet, and pairs with multiple entrees. Sip some summer juice (Rosé) and bite in.

Sweet Summer Squash Fritters

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

-2 Medium summer squash (or yellow squash)

-2 Shallots, finely minced

-3 Garlic cloves, minced

-1 large egg

-2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

-Olive oil for cooking

-Seasoning: garlic powder, salt, pepper, maple sugar (if available!)

Optional: fresh mozzarella to melt on top

To Cook:

Ideally, you should use a julienne peeler to shred your squash. If you don’t have this, a cheese grater will do (abet, a bit slower). With the peeler, shred the squash, with the skin on, into a large bowl until you reach the seeded portion. Taking a fork and sharp knife, dice the shredded squash until the pieces are 1-2 inches long. This will let you form smaller patties.

Scoop the shredded squash into several layers of paper towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Return the squash to the bowl and add the egg, a generous amount of seasoning, shallots, garlic, and flour. Mix and add a bit more flour if needed until the mixture holds together.

Drop a little olive oil in a large frying pan and place over medium heat. Once the pan is heated, drop large spoonfuls of squash mixture into the pan and flatten with a metal spatula. Allow to sizzle in the pan until golden brown, then flip and sear the other side. It should take a few minutes per side to caramelize the edges and soften the shallots. Remove the fritters and allow to cool on paper towel.

I served my fritters with thin-sliced pork chop marinated in “fil fil No. 8 Sweet & Spicy Garlic Sauce” and pan-seared until just cooked through.

The airy sweetness of squash is a nice compliment to a fattier meat like pork, but the fritters could be a side for almost anything. Optionally, you could add a sliver of fresh mozzarella to each cooked fritter and slide them into the broiler until melted, like an open-faced “arepa”.

Semi-healthy weekday meal accomplished. Time to Rosé-all-day.