I’ve been following “Memorie di Angelina“, an Italian blog by Frank. I like this blog because (like my other favourite Italian blog “from the Bartolini kitchens“), Frank documents authentic Italian recipes with easy instructions and mouthwatering photos. I have been drooling over his recipes all year and during this last summer, I was overwhelmingly inspired to recreate his Frittelle di pasta cresciuta con zucchine (Zucchini Fritters)! Those of you who have been following me for years know that I am not a fan of deep fried food, but once in a while a recipe calls out to me and I am compelled to make it: this is one of them.
These fritters are unlike any fritter that I’ve had; they are soft, pillowy, and slightly chewy, yeasted bread dough balls with delicate shavings of zucchini and thinly sliced shallots (I added the shallots, they were not in the original recipe). They are fried at a slightly lower temperature so they don’t brown quickly and get dark and crusty. The trick is to fry them through without getting them golden like most deep-fried fritters would be. The flavour is a little taste of heaven and if you feel decadent, serve them with a romesco sauce or an aioli (as Frank kindly suggested). I made the recipe as Frank outlined on his beautiful blog and yielded about 41 (may have been 42 — quality control, of course 😉) tasty morsels. I served them 4 per person but you may want to serve the entire batch if your crowd is hungry enough. They freeze beautifully and reheat in a 300° F oven in less than 10 minutes.
The dough is rather shaggy when raw, but using two spoons to portion the little balls (one to portion, the other to push off into the oil), it’s easy and not as messy as I had envisioned. I was quite surprised that I yielded back almost the same amount of oil as before frying, which means the little balls did not soak up much at all — it makes total sense as they didn’t taste oily or deep fried. Each ball swells as it fries and turns into about 1-manly bite or two-lady-like bites, perfect for cocktails. It’ll be some time ’till we drag out the outdoor cushions again but I thought I’d share the recipe for the Holiday season.
Neapolitan Zucchini Fritters
Makes about 40-42 little balls
Please click here for the original recipe.
Ingredients:
- 300 g “00” flour
- 250 mL warm water
- 5 g Instant dry yeast
- 300 g zucchini, shredded
- 25 g shallot, thinly sliced
- 5 g salt
- Vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, combine the yeast with the water and mix well. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover, set aside for 2-4 hours.
- Meanwhile, mix the shredded zucchini with a generous amount of salt and set aside for the duration of the proofing of the dough.
- Scrape out the zucchini into a fine sieve and rinse with cold water. Place the rinsed zucchini into a clean piece of cheesecloth and squeeze as much of the water from it as possible. Sprinkle into the prooved dough and mix well. Add the salt and the shallots and mix well.
- Preheat oil to 350° F.
- Using two spoons, scoop out a small amount (about a generous teaspoon) and gently push the dough into hot oil, being careful not to splash. Add only a few at a time so the oil doesn’t lose its temperature. Lay the fried balls onto a clean paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve immediately or set aside/freeze and reheat at 300° F for 4-8 minutes.
[…] Zucchini Fritters with Sriracha Aioli […]
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I finally made the zucchini fritters! They turned out amazing and we all loved them! The one I made didn’t soak up much oil either – they tasted light and delicate, with just a hint of zucchini flavour. We’re definitely going to make them again. It’s pretty easy, as long as I remember to make the dough and grate the zucchini in advance (which I kept forgetting to do, which is why it took so long for me to finally make them!)!
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Thanks for the shout out, Eva! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. These look fabulous.
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Fritters. From apple to zucchini (including seaweed: https://www.sippitysup.com/seaweed-fritters-bunuelos-de-algas-rochas-uruguay/) I thought I tried them all. But honestly, I’ve never tried a yeasty version. Life keeps opening new windows to explore… GREG
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Every once in a while we need a little fried food in our life and these definitely sound like a good reason to get out the fryer.
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Oh, goodness. I didn’t know the dough is yeasted. Now I must make these! What fabulous appetizers!
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Hehe I’m like you Eva, I try and avoid deep frying but sometimes a recipe speaks to me so much that I do it. These look lovely and great to know that they can be made ahead of time and frozen too.
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I’ve made zucchini fritters, but never with yeast! They look amazing—thinking they may belong on my dinner club menu after the first of the year!
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These remind me of zucchini fritters my mom made all the time when we were kids, but hers included egg in the mixture, so they did soak up a lot of oil. I’ve wanted to make them for years, but never thought I could without the egg, so I’m so glad you posted this recipe! I love the fact that these are lighter, fluffier and less greasy – just perfect!
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A delicious and versatile fritter recipe! Bet other veggies would work just great.
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