zucchini and corn fritters

Zucchini and sweet corn fritters

You need:
Zucchini, corn, cheese, flour, egg, parsley and mint.

• 400g small to medium zucchini, preferably a mix of green and yellow, and 1 or 2 zucchini flowers if available
• 1 freshly picked corn cob
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint and continental parsley (mixed according to preference). If you’ve washed the herbs, make sure they are quite dry before cutting them
• ½ cup cheese, chopped coarsely. We use marinated goats cheese such as Meredith Farm or marinated fetta from Yarra Valley Dairy because its easy to keep a jar of either of those in the fridge but you could buy a piece of fetta.
• ½ cup plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• olive oil for frying

Method:
Coarsely grate the zucchini without peeling it (the flecks of skin add texture and colour). Mix about ½ a teaspoon of sea salt into the zucchini and place it in a colander that you sit over a bowl for about half an hour. The zucchini will expel quite a lot of liquid and this stops the fritters becoming too watery. Discard the liquid.

Carefully peel the corn cob removing all of the silky threads and cut off the base so that it can stand flat on the table. Stand the corn cob on its base then, using a sharp knife, carefully cut the kernels from the cob. Twist the cob and repeat until most of the kernels have been removed. Warm about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the kernels and cook them for a few minutes, turning them all the time. They should quickly caramelise. Be careful. They might start to pop. Remove from the pan and allow to cool a little.

When you’re ready to make the fritters, squeeze the grated zucchini gently to remove excess fritters. Put the zucchini in a clean tea towel and roll it up. Twist both ends in opposite directions (it’s easier if two people do this) to remove more liquid. Now it should be quite dry. Add it to a clean bowl.

Add the corn, cheese, the chopped fresh herbs, chopped zucchini flower if using, and the egg. Stir the mixture gently to combine.

It’s a flexible recipe. Alone, or with a simple mint and yoghurt sauce and a few slices of ripe tomatoes or with slow-roasted tomatoes, it would make a great breakfast. With a salad, it can easily become a light lunch or dinner.