We’ve made these with fresh aromatic herbs, feta cheese and a pinch of cumin. Served with a Greek yogurt and honey dip. Ours vanished in no-time so we hope yours go down just as well!
Summary
Prep: 15 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Ages: Toddlers (1 year +) to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Kolokithokeftedes – Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
Zucchini fritters:
- 4 medium zucchinis (or 3 large), grated
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1 handful fresh dill (10 g)
- 1 handful coriander leaves (10 g)
- 1 handful mint leaves (10 g)
- 2 spring onions
- 2 eggs
- 1⅓ cups feta cheese (200 g)
- 1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup plain flour (80 g)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Yogurt and honey dip:
- 1 small pot Greek yogurt (about 150 g)
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Grate the zucchinis into a large bowl.
- If you are using salt, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over the grated zucchini and mix it in quickly with your hands. If not then simply leave it as it is.
- Set it aside for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Take a blender and add the fresh dill, coriander and mint leaves, the spring onions (both white and some of the green parts), the 2 eggs and the feta cheese. Blend it just enough to make a rough mixture and empty into a mixing bowl.
- Return to the grated zucchini which needs to be drained of excess water. You can either place it in a kitchen towel, gather the ends and squeeze it tightly until water comes out. Or you can use paper towels to press down on the mixture to soak as much water as you can until it’s dry.
- When it’s ready, empty the grated zucchini into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
- Add the cumin, lemon juice and flour and stir it all together until well combined.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, on a medium heat.
- Take a large spoonful of the mixture and place it in the pan. Press down onto it with a spoon, and push in the sides to form it into a round patty.
- Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden. Lower the heat if necessary so that they cook through.
- Remove the kolokithokeftedes from the pan and lay them on a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
- Prepare the dip by adding the Greek yogurt, honey and ground cumin together and stirring. Serve it with warm kolokithokeftedes.
*Adding salt to grated zucchini helps extract more water from it, making the fritters softer. However if you want to avoid salt, you can either rinse the salt off before draining the zucchini. Or you can omit the salt entirely and just drain it after standing for 10 minutes. The kolokithokeftedes will still be delicious.
Kolokithokeftedes – Zucchini and Feta Cheese Fritters
Step by Step
Grate the zucchinis and set aside
Grate the zucchinis into a large bowl.
If you are adding salt, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over the grated courgette and mix in quickly with your hands. You can skip the salt if you prefer.
Set the grated zucchinis to one side for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients
Blend the fresh herbs, spring onions, eggs and feta cheese
In a blender add the dill, coriander and mint leaves, the spring onions both white and some of the green parts roughly chopped, the 2 eggs and the feta cheese.
Blend until you get a rough mixture (it doesn’t need to be completely smooth).
Drain the grated zucchinis
Return to the grated zucchini which you will now drain of extra water.
Place it in a kitchen towel. Gather the ends and squeeze the mixture until water comes out. Strain into a kitchen bowl and get as much water out as you can.
Another way to remove the excess water it is to press down on the grated zucchini with some kitchen paper until all the water has been soaked up.
When it’s ready add it to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
Mix in with the remaining ingredients
Add the cumin, lemon juice and flour to the bowl with the grated and drained zucchini and the blended ingredients.
Mix until just combined
The mixture will still be quite wet and sticky.
Take a spoonful of the mixture and place in a heated pan
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, on a medium heat.
Take a large spoonful of the mixture and place it in the pan.
Form into round patties
Push down on the mixture in the pan to make it flat and to shape it into round patties.
Then repeat the process and add some more spoonfuls of the mixture to the pan.
Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden
Lower the heat if necessary so that they cook through.
When golden flip the courgette fritters and cook on the other side.
Stir together the ingredients for the yogurt and honey dip
Make the dip by stirring together the honey and ground cumin into the Greek yogurt.
Dip and enjoy!
Dunk your kolokithokeftedes into the yogurt and honey dip while warm and enjoy as finger food.
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Kolokithokeftedes – Zucchini and Feta Cheese Fritters
Kolokithokeftedes – Zucchini Fritters
Ingredients
Kolokithokeftedes (Zucchini Fritters)
- 4 medium zucchinis (or 3 large), grated
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)*
- 1 handful fresh dill (10 g)
- 1 handful coriander leaves (10 g)
- 1 handful mint leaves (10 g)
- 2 spring onion
- 2 eggs
- 1⅓ cups feta cheese (200 g)
- 1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup plain flour (80 g)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Yogurt and Honey Dip
- 1 pot Greek yogurt (about 150 g)
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
-
Grate the zucchinis into a large bowl.
-
If you are using salt, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over the grated zucchini and mix it in quickly with your hands. If not then simply leave it as it is.
-
Set it aside for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
-
Take a blender and add the fresh dill, coriander and mint leaves, the spring onions (both white and some of the green parts), the 2 eggs and the feta cheese. Blend it just enough to make a rough mixture and empty into a mixing bowl.
-
Return to the grated zucchini which needs to be drained of excess water. You can either place it in a kitchen towel, gather the ends and squeeze it tightly until water comes out. Or you can use paper towels to press down on the mixture to soak as much water as you can until it’s dry.
-
When it’s ready, empty the grated zucchini into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients.
-
Add the cumin, lemon juice and flour and stir it all together until well combined.
-
When you’re ready to cook, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, on a medium heat.
-
Take a large spoonful of the mixture and place it in the pan. Press down onto it with a spoon, and push in the sides to form it into a round patty.
-
Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden. Lower the heat if necessary so that they cook through.
-
Remove the kolokithokeftedes from the pan and lay them on a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
-
Prepare the dip by adding the Greek yogurt, honey and ground cumin together and stirring. Serve it with warm kolokithokeftedes.
