Zucchini Fritters

I recently saw a recipe for zucchini fritters on Mark Ruhlman's blog. Rather than following his recipe, though, I was inspired to do my own version, using breadcrumbs and cheddar cheese instead of egg and feta. In the end, they didn't stick together as well without the egg, but they were still very tasty!

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 red onion, minced
2-3 tablespoons minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon ancho powder (or other mild pepper)
1 pinch cayenne powder (or more if you like, or none if you don't)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded colby jack cheese
olive oil for frying

As Ruhlman notes, the key to a successful zucchini fritter is to get as much water out of the grated zucchini as possible. So, after grating, salt the zucchini and let it stand in a strainer while you get all your other ingredients ready. Once they are, you'll want to squeeze the zucchini to get even more water out: wrapping it cheesecloth is an ideal way to achieve this, but I use doubled up paper towels instead and that generally works fine.

With that done, you'll want to the oil in your pan and warming over medium heat: the oil should be deep enough to come halfway up the sides of the fritters. Now mix all the ingredients together well in a bowl and start forming fritters with your hands (Ruhlman suggests that you can use a 1/4 cup measure, but I think you'll end up with a better packed fritter if you do it by hand). Fry them in batches for about 4-6 minutes per side, or until they are well browned. Drain on paper towels, and, if you like, you can garnish them with fresh parsley and serve them with a dollop of sour cream.