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Like many people, I often find that I have just too much zucchini every summer! You can only make so much zucchini bread so I thought I would share with you a recipe that has been very popular this summer at the restaurant.

Our zucchini fritters are made with Wisconsin Parmesan cheese and fresh mint from our garden. A little lemon zest provides a great mix with the mint! You can make the fritters up to a day ahead and keep them on a parchment lined baking sheet. I don't saute them until we are just ready to serve them.

I have included a recipe for a homemade mint and lemon mayonnaise. We "zig zag" the mayonnaise on a rectangular plate then place some very thinnly sliced spinach on the bottom of the plate. We place four fritters on the plate and top them with an edible flower. See the photo below. If you are uncomfortable making a homemade mayonnaise, simply "funk up" a store brought mayo with chopped fresh mint, garlic and lemon zest.

Recipe of the Month

Zucchini Fritters
Amount of fritters depends on size.
This recipe will make about 2 dozen smaller fritters.

Fritters
1 pound of grated zucchini
(about 2 to 3 medium sized zucchini)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 to 5 tablespoons flour
3 large eggs
1 cup to 1 1/2 cups Japanese bread crumbs
(Panko - divided)
You will be using the remaining
crumbs to coat the fritters
canola oil for frying the fritters

Lemon Mint Mayonnaise

4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice or
white wine vinegar
salt and white pepper to taste
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint
(feel free to use basil and/or sage instead)
2 teaspoons honey
the grated zest of one lemon
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1 /2 cups to 2 cups vegetable oil
(I use vegetable oil because I feel olive oil
creates too heavy of a taste)


*To make the zucchini fritters* Wash the zucchini well to remove any grit that may be on the skins. Dry off with a paper towel. Trim away both ends and slice in half. Using a food processor fitted with the grate blade, grate the zucchini. (You can also do this by hand with a hand grater. In that case, do not cut the zucchini in half.)

Add the lemon zest. Then add the Italian parsley, chopped mint, garlic, Parmesan cheese, 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons of flour. Add 1/2 cup of the Japanese bread crumbs.

Using your hands, toss the mixture to combine. It needs to hold together when you form the fritters, but not be too wet. I usually start with the 3 tablespoons of flour and the 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. Because the egg size and zucchini size can vary, this is one of those recipes you just add a bit here and there unti it is right. If the mixture seems too wet, add a little more flour and/or bread crumbs. The remaining bread crumbs (1 cup to 3/4 cup) will be used to coat the final fritters.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper or paper towel. Make small heaping tablespoon rounds of fritters.

Place the remaining crumbs in a pan. Place the fritters in the crumbs and gently coat with bread crumbs. Place back on the pan. Refrigerate until ready to use (You can refrigerate them up to one day but make sure to loosely cover them with saran wrap if not using fairly soon.) When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the canola or vegetable oil in a saute pan. The oil should be about 1 inch deep. Heat to 350 degrees (Use a candy thermometer available at most hardware stores). When 350 degrees, gently place the fritters in the oil and fry until nicely browned on both sides. Remove and place in a parchment lined pan. Finish in a 350 degree oven for 4 to 5 minutes to heat through.

To make the mayonnaise Place the egg yolks, mustard, lemon/vinegar, white pepper, salt, lemon zest, garlic and honey in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse to combine.
Slowly drizzle the oil through the feed tube WITH THE MACHINE RUNNING. The mixture will begin getting thick. Add enough oil until the mayonnaise is at the consistency you want.
Now add the fresh herbs. Pulse to combine. Taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed. If too "bland" add a little more vinegar or lemon juice. You may also need to adjust the salt and pepper. We place the mayonnaise in a small plastic squeeze bottle so we can decorate the finished plate. To plate the fritters as pictured Zig zag the mayonnaise on a serving plate. Place thinnly sliced spinach on the bottom of the plate. Place four zucchini fritters on the spinach and decorate with a fresh edible flower. You can also place all the fritters on a large serving platter and place the mayonnaise in the middle of the platter in a bowl. Decorate with fresh mint sprigs and lemon slices.