Zucchini Fritters with Spring Garlic and Cayenne

One thing I love about where we live is that my inlaws reside only a few streets away.  This is great for many reasons -- the kids see their grandparents, we have free babysitters, and not to mention I genuinely like Rick and Louise. Yet there is yet another reason this is good.  Simply put, we get to raid their fridge. And while Grey has been known to completely pillage their refrigerator of beer, leftover pizza, full packs of lunch meat, entire pickle jars, etc. I usually stick to the little things.  

Like --  spring garlic.  Since I had used mine up with the kale and sweet tater ‘dillas the other day I decided to borrow my mother-in-law’s to give these zucchini fritters some extra flavor.  She gets a Washington’s Green Grocer box as well, so I knew where to find some.  Thanks, Louise!  

Oh and of course I shared the fritters...they were delicious and easy.  I have a feeling we’re going to be making them a lot this summer!

Zucchini Fritters with Spring Onion and Cayenne

4 medium zucchinis
1 cup flour (I used a combo of white whole wheat and spelt)
a hearty dousing of cayenne pepper for some kick
3 stalks spring garlic, chopped into teeny pieces
2 eggs
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
olive oil or coconut oil, for frying (in your skillet, of course!)
kosher salt
sour cream and whole milk yogurt combo (for topping)
lemon wedges (for serving)

First, attack your zucchini.  You can shred these any old way, but I threw mine into the food processor to grind ‘em up.  I’m sure the blender would work -- or even an old fashioned grater.  

Then, as I learned from Smitten Kitchen, toss some kosher salt into your mix and let sit for 10 minutes.  Squeeze out any excess moisture from the zucchini mixture by wringing it with some cheese cloth or a clean dish towel.  I, of course, used a dish towel since I never seem to have kitchen items like cheesecloth on hand. 
Here is my squeezed zucchini. It really shrinks down!

Then stir spring garlic, eggs, cayenne, and dry ingredients into the veggie mix.  

Your finished fritter batter will look something like this:

Heat up some olive oil in a skillet (I think coconut oil would work even better, actually, but I was out) and drop fritter mixture into the pan.  Cook on medium high heat for a couple minutes on either side until they are crispy and brown.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or whole milk plain yogurt (or a mix of both).  I threw some salt and a little dill into the cream sauce for good measure.  Lemon wedges are also nice to serve. Enjoy!