mint
Zucchini/Summer Squash Fritters – ijja
I made some fritters for dinner Friday evening to go along with some leftover soup. I had 1 zucchini, and 2 yellow crookneck squashes. I considered several different ideas before I stopped at Ijja (the Arabic name for these fritters – and also the word for omelet). I didn’t need to consider anything else after that, because, YUM, fritters!
This is a Levantine version, which doesn’t use cheese, unlike some other Mediterranean versions. Cheese is a tasty addition to zucchini fritters, but I wanted a spiced cheese-less one tonight.
You can use any summer-type of squash for this recipe, whether zucchini, pattypan, marrow, etc. You don’t need to peel them, just scrub away any dirt or rough spots. The important thing is to grate whatever squash you use uniformly, and give it a good salting to draw out any excess liquid.
You could grate them by hand, and finely chop the parsley. To make things easier on myself, I used the grater disk in my food processor, and sent the veggies down the chute, first the squashes, then the onion, then the parsley (kind of balled up to make them more a solid entity for grating). I then dumped them into a bowl, to continue the recipe.
Zucchini/Summer Squash Fritters – ijja
3 medium-sized summer-type squash, grated
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 onion, grated or very finely chopped (can use the equivalent of chopped whole green onions)
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon madras curry powder or cumin (or half/half)
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dried mint
3 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Place squashes, onions, and parsley in a bowl.
Add salt and let stand half an hour. The veggies should release liquid.
Squeeze the veggies, draining out as much liquid as possible. Pat down with paper towels, if needed.
The volume will be reduced.
Add eggs. Mix.
Add flour, spices, mint, and baking powder. Mix to form a batter.
Heat about an inch of cooking oil over medium-high heat.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoon-fulls into hot oil.
Cook 1-2 minutes each side, until golden brown.
Serve with salad and yogurt, or as an accompaniment to a small meal. You could also serve with a dip or chutney.
(End of ) Summer Mint Macaroni Salad
If you have a little backyard garden going this summer, this macaroni salad could be a good way to use some of your home-grown produce. We have a ton of mint that I wanted to make use of, as well as pepper and tomatoes growing outside.
This salad makes use of fresh mint and lemon juice, extra virgin olive, apple cider vinegar, horseradish sauce, and ketchup for the dressing.
You can use mild or hot horseradish sauce, according to preference. Also, you could adjust the amounts and kinds of veggies that you put in this, keeping in mind that you might need to increase the dressing.
This salad is inspired by one that my friend Zee once brought to a potluck. Of course, I had to ask her what went in it, and of course, I had to modify it to suit our taste 🙂 The mint makes it very refreshing, and the ketchup and horseradish add a lovely depth of flavor.
This salad need not be limited to the summer months. You can substitute dried mint for the fresh mint leaves.
Summer Mint Macaroni Salad
2 cups elbow macaroni or ditalini pasta (dry)
½ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped (or substitute 1 Tablespoon dried mint if fresh is unavailable)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tomato, chopped fine
¼ cup bell pepper, chopped fine
¼ cup onion (white, yellow, red, or scallion), chopped fine
2 tablespoons horseradish sauce
4 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic (optional)
½ teaspoon lemon zest
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Meanwhile, place mint, olive oil, garlic, pepper, granulated garlic (if using) and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Process until emulsified. The mint might not be completely pureed smooth, and it is okay if you see small green flecks.
Add the blended dressing to the pasta, stirring to coat all the pasta.
Add tomatoes, peppers, onions, horseradish sauce, ketchup, vinegar, lemon zest, and salt to taste. Combine well.
Refrigerate until serving.
Minted Cucumber Yogurt Salad- Khiar biLaban
This is a refreshing summer salad, made with fresh cucumbers and mint. The traditional Levantine recipe is nice and garlicky, but I also like to add some finely minced or grated onion. It goes very well with kabobs/grilled meats as well as with rice dishes. It is also good to eat alongside very spicy foods and curries, as the yogurt and mint help to moderate the palate’s flame 🙂
Minted Cucumber Yogurt Salad – Khiar biLaban
1 tablespoon finely minced (or grated) onion
1 small clove garlic, finely minced, and mashed with the side of a knife
2 teaspoons fresh mint, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon dry mint)
3 mini/persian cucumbers, chopped in small, uniform pieces
1 cup yogurt, preferably Greek
Salt and Pepper, to taste (at least 1/2 teaspoon salt)
Stir yogurt well, so that it becomes creamy in texture.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to incorporate completely.
The salad could be eaten immediately, but I prefer to allow it to chill for an hour or two, especially if dried mint is used.
Cauliflower Fritters – Emshaat
Cauliflower Fritters – Emshaat
I love cauliflower. It is very versatile, and can stand in for chicken to make many recipes vegetarian. In fact, when my son was 3, and I made the following recipe, he thought he was eating chicken. As long as he was eating his vegetables, I really didn’t care what he called it 😉
Several types fritters are very common in the Levant region, such as zucchini and cauliflower. Cauliflower fritters are called emshaat. There are actually two ways to make emshaat. One way is to steam whole florets, and coat with a batter, and fry, kind of like a tempura. I prefer the second way, where they are steamed, chopped, mixed with parsley, onions, and spices, before adding flour and eggs, then fried.
Cauliflower can vary widely in size – you can find some as small as a dessert plate and as big as a serving platter. So, since it probably won’t be particularly helpful to merely say “1 head of cauliflower”, a good rule of thumb is 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder to 1 cup of cauliflower/onion/parsley mix. You can go light or heavy-handed on the spices, but I especially prefer lots of cumin.
These are a big hit with my kids. By the time I am done frying the last fritter, the first have already been eaten.
You can eat these warm or cold, and they go great with a salad and yogurt.
Cauliflower Fritters – Emshaat
1 small head cauliflower
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions/scallions, or regular onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cumin or curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
5 Tablespoons flour
5 eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried mint (optional)
Separate cauliflower into large florets. Steam or boil until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Chop roughly.
Add onions, parsley, spices, eggs, flour, and baking powder. Combine completely.
Meanwhile, heat 1 inch of oil in large skillet.
Drop heaping tablespoons of batter into hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes, until golden, flip and fry 1-2 minutes more, until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels
