Zucchini Fritters With Arab Salsa

Tender zucchini on the inside - crispy crust on the outside. A great bite!

What to do with the innards scooped out of your zucchini to make stuffed Kousa??? Have you ever had that quandary?? Probably not, unless you grew up in the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) where stuffed kousa is prepared. Well, I wondered on an occasion or two when living in Jordan, but another ex-pat, who had mastered the art of Arab cooking supplied the answer....fritters! You don't even have to make Kousa (the Arab word for squash) to create this recipe but can skip that step entirely and just grab the freshest, most convenient zucchinis you can find, whether from your own garden or the grocery store to prepare these delicious, crispy, easily prepared appetizers or side dish.

The tomato sauce (Arab Salsa) is the perfect accompaniment and is actually composed of the elements that most kousa, stuffed grape leaves, stuffed eggplant, etc. are served in any way. It is a match made in Jordan! (If you want to make the kousa just for the fun of scooping out the pulp, check my recipe on this blog under the name of "Kousa Sahel".)

zucchini fritters, jordanian-style

2 large or 5 medium zucchini, grated without peeling

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

pinch of sugar

olive oil for sauteing

-Wash zucchini and trim off ends. Grate the zucchinis and place in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and set aside for 10 minutes.

-Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the zucchini by placing in colander and pressing firmly with your hands or wrapping small amount of zucchini at a time in paper towels and twisting to remove liquid. You should have about 3 - 4 cups of zucchini at this point. Return zucchini to large mixing bowl.

-Stir in the green onion, garlic, red pepper, parsley and eggs. Mix together. Then add flour, baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, black pepper and pinch of sugar. Mix until well incorporated.

-Using a large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. until hot. Add the zucchini mixture a heaping tablespoon at a time and flatten slightly into rounds. Saute 3 -5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Check the center of one to make sure batter is cooked through. If not reduce the heat slightly and cook fritters a bit longer. Remove when golden brown and place on paper towels to cool slightly.

TOMATO DIPPING SAUCE: (Arab Salsa)

3 large tomatoes cut into 4 wedges each

1 onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon zatar

dash of red pepper flakes or red pepper

dash of cinnamon and allspice (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 tab. lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

sumac to sprinkle on top

sprig of fresh parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish

-Place tomato wedges on an oiled baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven 35 - 40 minutes, turning once during roasting, until very soft and slightly blackened. Remove from oven.

-In medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onion and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until soft and slightly browned. Add the garlic to the onions for the last 2 minutes.

-Roughly chop the roasted tomatoes and add to the pan along with the chopped parsley, zatar, cayenne pepper and cinnamon and allspice (if used). Then stir and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until mixture comes together as a sauce. (Add a bit of water if mixture becomes too dry.)

-Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil and stir in. Place salsa dip into a small dish and garnish with sumac and parsley garnish to serve alongside fritters. (Sauce may be made ahead and set aside until the fritters are done.)

-Serve fritters warm with sauce. Makes 8 - 10 servings as an appetizer or side dish. 

Mix ingredients together to make fritter batter.

Serve crispy, delicious fritters with Tomato Dipping Sauce

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

-Fritters are best served warm while they are still crispy, which they lose if they sit too long, due to the high water content in squash.

-Another delicious addition to the Arab Salsa is roasted eggplant. If you would like to try this, choose a small eggplant, pierce it with a fork and roast it alongside the tomatoes in the oven. Let it cool slightly after roasting then cut in half lengthwise and with a spoon, scoop out the soft pulp. Chop roughly and add to the saute pan with the tomatoes.

-Sumac and Zatar are common Arab spices and can be found in global and international markets and in some common grocery stores. You can also find them easily on Amazon or Penzey Spices. Or you can simply eliminate these from the recipe which will still be tasty but those who know and appreciate Arab food will enjoy the addition of these very Arab seasonings.