{photo by Sara Remington}
I'm officially declaring this national zucchini month on the blog, because, well, I love zucchini and there are so many darn good ways to eat it. This is my all. time. favorite. Don't quote me on that because I might say that again when I post another recipe next week. But for today, this is it. The best. It's lighter than it sounds, because I make my batter with wheat beer which keeps the batter thin and crackly, and makes it especially apropos for serving with your micro brew of choice.
Tomorrow eve, Andras, Greta and I fly to Hungary {during the fireworks, what??} where the fields his parents farm are full of insanely huge szookeeni {note: that's the phonetic spelling, not proper Hungarian spelling} that his mom turns into restorative brothy soups. While we're slurping them and settling into our world over there, I hope you'll be frying up a batch of these babies while the sparks fly overhead. Happy Fourth of July!
~
Fried
Zucchini
Serves 6 to 8
{light and crisp} In the
heart of the summer when markets are practically giving zucchini away, buy a
bunch and transform them into summer fries that could turn the heads of even
the strictest potato devotees. These zucchini get their light and crispy skin
from a beer batter. Use a beer you’d enjoy drinking. Eat them fresh and hot
from the fryer dipped in harissa-spiked Spicy Mayo.
Vegetable
oil, for frying
2
medium-large firm zucchini/courgette, scrubbed and cut into 2-in-/5 cm-long
sticks
1
large egg, beaten
½
cup/120 ml cold full-flavored wheat beer
¾
cup/90 g all-purpose/plain flour
Sea
salt
Spicy
Mayo
Before
you begin, have everything you’ll need handy so you can concentrate when you’re
working with hot oil on the stove. Set up a wire rack on a baking sheet/tray
lined with paper towels/absorbent paper.
In
a large, deep frying pan, heat 1 in/2.5 cm vegetable oil over medium-high heat
until it reaches 350°F/180°C/gas 4 on a deep-fat thermometer. Decrease the heat
to medium-low to keep the oil temperature steady.
Whisk
together the egg and beer in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the flour to make
a thin batter.
Check
the oil temperature again. It should read just under 350°F/180°C/gas 4 and will
drop slightly, to about 325°F/165°C/gas 3 as you add the zucchini/courgette pieces.
This is the perfect temperature for frying.
Dip
vegetable pieces in the batter a few at a time to coat and let the excess drip
off before carefully lowering them into the hot oil. Fry until the batter puffs
and is crisp and golden, about 2 minutes. Turn over with a slotted spoon and
continue cooking 1 minute more. Be sure to cover the pan with a splatter guard
to protect yourself as the zucchini/courgette pops and sizzles enthusiastically
{it’s full of water}. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the rack.
Sprinkle with salt while it’s still warm. Continue until all the squash is
fried.
Serve
hot and fresh with Spicy Mayo or all on their own in a basket lined with paper
towels/absorbent paper.
~
Spicy Mayo
Makes about 1/2 cup/120 ml
{from any country}Creamy mayonnaise
mixed with Greek yogurt is the perfect, luscious base to tame the feisty heat
of a hot red pepper paste. Stir in North African harissa, Hungarian hot red
pepper paste, Southeast Asian sambal oelek, or Sriracha sauce to add a fiery
streak to your favorite snack or supper.
1/4 cup/60 ml Greek yogurt
1/4 cup/60 ml olive-oil mayonnaise or
regular mayonnaise
2 to 3 tbsp hot pepper sauce or
paste
Pinch of fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise,
and enough hot pepper paste to make you sweat. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Serve on everything your heart desires, especially Baguette BLTs with Spicy
Moroccan Mayo. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
2 comments:
This is a great way to get in veggies - when in doubt, just fry 'em!
oh, this sounds heavenly! i love the idea of zucchini month and can't wait to see what else you cook up!
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