Start Waffling Around
A sign of a truly gifted cook is the ability to take a few simple ingredients and turn out a spectacular meal. My grandmother, Annie, was a superstar at this and passed along many tricks and tips as I worked alongside her in the kitchen.
While we are in the throes of summer with triple digit temperatures, the farmers market offerings are dwindling to mostly zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes and assorted peppers as is my enthusiasm to cook. I remember years ago on the blog when I shared a compilation of no-cook recipes. Though I am not yet at that point, I do want to get in the kitchen and get out of the kitchen quickly.
David whipped up a lovely salad Nicoise the other day and when I spotted some young and slender zucchinis at the farmers market on Saturday, I grabbed them knowing they would soon become zucchini fritters.
My fritter addition has been written about here before along with many assorted recipes, but this fritter recipe is by far the easiest and most delicious. Using four simple ingredients, these fritters are all about the zucchini which is a lovely way to celebrate summer.
Rather than heat up a pan with lots of oil, I opted for the waffle maker and it delivered superb results without a hot mess in the kitchen. Crispy outside pillowed by a soft interior, these substantial fritters demand a generous dollop of lemon-herb sour cream for a delightfully cold contrast.
The next time you have zucchini and don't want to "cook," let these zucchini waffles solve your kitchen and hunger dilemma.
Buen provecho!
Zucchini Waffles with Lemon-Herb Sour Cream
The Cowgirl Gourmet
Print recipe
I can never get enough fritters. Corn fritters or zucchini fritters, this is one of my favorite foods. Traditional fritters are "fried" in oil which can be quite messy and hot. With the summer heat nearly intolerable, I decided the waffle maker might be a fun and easy way to cook the fritters. And what a great idea. No mess, no hot stove to stand over and food was on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Serves 4
1 pound zucchini, grated (I used four slender zucchini from the farmers market)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus another 1/4 teaspoon
1/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more when cooking and serving
2 eggs, beaten
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Maldon salt, to garnish
Using a food processor with the grater blade, grate the zucchini in seconds. Dump the grated zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with one teaspoon kosher salt. Place the colander inside a bigger bowl to capture the zucchini juice which will drain out.
Let the zucchini sit for 15-30 minutes.
Grab a handful and carefully squeeze the zucchini to get all of the juices out. Just to learn why this step is so important, I always squeeze over the colander so it drains into the bowl. Continue squeezing handfuls of the zucchini until you have squeezed all of the water out. I generally amass 2/3 to one cup of water.
Now drain the water from the bowl and dump the squeezed zucchini into the bowl. Add the rice flour and toss well with the zucchini. This will help to soak up any remaining liquid. Add the Parmesan and the two beaten eggs and blend well.
Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, some freshly ground black pepper and stir well to combine.
Heat the waffle maker. When it is hot, spray it well with Pam and when it sizzles, add 1/3 cup of the batter. Spread the batter out a bit so it is not all piled up in the center of the waffle iron. Grate a bit more Parmesan on top and close the waffle iron so it can cook. When the steam quits rising from the waffle maker, that is generally a sign to check the waffle and so if it is done or not. If it is, remove it and if it is not, keep cooking until it is crispy and golden enough for you.
When serving, sprinkle with Maldon salt and add a generous dollop of lemon-herb sour cream.
Lemon-Herb Sour Cream
The Cowgirl Gourmet
Use whatever herbs you have...I used dill and chives, but flat-leaf parsley would also be good.
3/4 cup organic sour cream
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped (chives, dill, parsley, mint)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Add sour cream and lemon juice to a bowl and stir well. Blend in the herbs, salt and pepper and stir thoroughly. Serve with hot zucchini waffles. Refrigerate any leftover cream for an omelette.
While we are in the throes of summer with triple digit temperatures, the farmers market offerings are dwindling to mostly zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes and assorted peppers as is my enthusiasm to cook. I remember years ago on the blog when I shared a compilation of no-cook recipes. Though I am not yet at that point, I do want to get in the kitchen and get out of the kitchen quickly.
David whipped up a lovely salad Nicoise the other day and when I spotted some young and slender zucchinis at the farmers market on Saturday, I grabbed them knowing they would soon become zucchini fritters.
My fritter addition has been written about here before along with many assorted recipes, but this fritter recipe is by far the easiest and most delicious. Using four simple ingredients, these fritters are all about the zucchini which is a lovely way to celebrate summer.
Rather than heat up a pan with lots of oil, I opted for the waffle maker and it delivered superb results without a hot mess in the kitchen. Crispy outside pillowed by a soft interior, these substantial fritters demand a generous dollop of lemon-herb sour cream for a delightfully cold contrast.
The next time you have zucchini and don't want to "cook," let these zucchini waffles solve your kitchen and hunger dilemma.
Buen provecho!
The Cowgirl Gourmet
Print recipe
I can never get enough fritters. Corn fritters or zucchini fritters, this is one of my favorite foods. Traditional fritters are "fried" in oil which can be quite messy and hot. With the summer heat nearly intolerable, I decided the waffle maker might be a fun and easy way to cook the fritters. And what a great idea. No mess, no hot stove to stand over and food was on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Serves 4
1 pound zucchini, grated (I used four slender zucchini from the farmers market)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus another 1/4 teaspoon
1/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more when cooking and serving
2 eggs, beaten
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Maldon salt, to garnish
Using a food processor with the grater blade, grate the zucchini in seconds. Dump the grated zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with one teaspoon kosher salt. Place the colander inside a bigger bowl to capture the zucchini juice which will drain out.
Let the zucchini sit for 15-30 minutes.
The Cowgirl Gourmet
Use whatever herbs you have...I used dill and chives, but flat-leaf parsley would also be good.
3/4 cup organic sour cream
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped (chives, dill, parsley, mint)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Add sour cream and lemon juice to a bowl and stir well. Blend in the herbs, salt and pepper and stir thoroughly. Serve with hot zucchini waffles. Refrigerate any leftover cream for an omelette.
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