Recipe: Zucchini and manouri fritters

Zucchini and manouri fritters

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

Note: Adapted from a recipe first published in the Guardian newspaper in Britain.

1 cup crème fraîche

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom, divided

2 teaspoons sunflower oil, plus extra for frying

Grated zest of 3 limes and juice of one, divided

3 zucchini (about 1 1/3 pounds)

Salt and pepper

2 small shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

About ½ cup (2.11 ounces) self-rising flour, or as needed

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons ground coriander

5 1/3 ounces (150 grams) manouri cheese (or feta if unavailable), crumbled

1. Make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the crème fraîche, chopped cilantro, one-half teaspoon ground cardamom, 2 teaspoons sunflower oil and the zest and juice of 1 lime. Taste and season as desired with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve the fritters.

2. Trim and discard the ends from the zucchini, then grate them into a large bowl. Sprinkle with one-half teaspoon of salt and set aside for about 10 minutes for the juices to be released. Squeeze the zucchini to remove most of the liquid, leaving just a little bit of wetness. Add the shallots, garlic, remaining lime zest, flour, eggs, ground coriander, remaining ground cardamom and a pinch of black pepper. Mix all the ingredients well to form a thick batter. Add additional flour if the batter is runny, then fold in the cheese.

3. Add enough oil to a large frying pan to come up the sides by approximately one-half inch, and heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot (the oil should just begin to simmer). Add heaped dessert spoons of mixture to the pan, flattening each fritter slightly as it cooks. You should be able to get 12 good-sized fritters out of this mixture. Cook on each side for approximately 3 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and leave to drain on paper towels or a piece of kitchen paper to remove excess oil.

4. Serve 3 fritters per portion with a generous dollop of sauce.

Each serving: 465 calories; 13 grams protein; 23 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 37 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 152 mg cholesterol; 7 grams sugar; 697 mg sodium.