Batter Fried Zucchini Fritters With Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce

July 26, 2022 by 3 Comments

fried fritters

Zucchini season is upon us and here’s an easy way to whip up some delicious batter fried zucchini fritters. The key method here is using a batter instead of any breadcrumbs, the batter is highly seasoned and it takes seconds to mix up.

You won’t need to do any shredding of the zucchini either, something I never liked doing because the zucchini gets water logged and then you have to spend time squeezing all that liquid out and not to mention it’s such a messy job!

fried zucchini

Batter fried zucchini fritters will give you an end result of nice crispy edges with a soft and tender inside, perfection in the fritter department!

chopped zucchini

What you need to do is take your zucchini, cut it right down the center, then quarter each half then with a knife slice off the seed portion as shown above, you’re not going to get all of it off and that’s ok, you’ll get most of it. Then proceed to dice up the rest.

chopped zucchini in batter

After you whip up your batter you’ll just drop your chopped zucchini right inside and toss to get it well coated.

frying fritters

Then just scoop out and start frying!

fried fritters

And before you know it you’ll have a tray full of crispy and delicious fritters!

eggplant batter

Back in the day my mother in law would make this versatile batter to fry up her eggplant slices and zucchini this way. For the eggplant she would just do a quick swipe on each side into the batter, then into the frying pan, her old school method never fails!

fried eggplant

The picture above is a tray of eggplant slices made with her batter, so good you just want to eat them like that!

fried zucchini fritters

I hope you try this easy batter method for your zucchini fritters and whatever other veggie you want to try. My mother in law never had a specific recipe for this, she would always say you just want the end result to be the consistency of pancake batter, some what loose but not runny. I did however try to give you specific amounts in the recipe below, but make it your own.

Enjoy!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Batter Fried Zucchini Fritters With Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce
 
Print
Zucchini fritters, quick and easy!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 good sized, medium zucchini, sliced in half then each half into quarters, slice off most of the seed section then small dice the rest. ( refer to picture in blog post)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2- 3 heaping tablespoons of chopped parsley, you could do basil as well or both
  • ¾ to 1 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • sparkling water like Pellegrino
  • olive oil
  • LEMON AIOLI
  • 1 cup full fat mayo
  • fresh lemon juice, enough to thin out the mayo
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, flour, cheese, parsley and sparkling water until you get a nice pancake like batter consistency, not too thick and not too loose. salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Toss in your chopped zucchini pieces and. coat well.
  3. Get your skillet nice and hot add olive oil to coat the bottom. ( I used a non stick pan.)
  4. Scoop the zucchini batter with a quarter cup measuring cup, then press down a little to make a patty shape.
  5. Fry til deep golden on each side and place on a wire rack not a paper towel, sprinkle lightly with salt while hot.
  6. For the lemon aioli just mix everything together in a bowl using enough lemon juice to thin out the mayo to a nice consistency.
  7. A great snack, appetizer, side dish, light lunch or dinner.
  8. You can also dip them in warm marinara sauce.
  9. I yielded 18 fritters with this amount.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
3 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Summer, Vegetables Tagged: , , ,

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Stuffed With Olive Muffalata

July 11, 2022 by 14 Comments

Muffuletta stuffed tenderloin

Fire up your grill to make this gorgeous looking stuffed pork tenderloin, it’s tender and juicy and it’s becomes a beautiful presentation for a main course.

It’s actually filled with an olive relish that’s store bought which makes it come together super easy. An addition of a few extra ingredients that I added makes the flavor out of this world!

muffuletta mix

You should be able to find several brands of olive salad packed in oil at a regular grocery store, it’s pretty popular. The one I used was a muffalata style but I’ve seen them as a relish or an olive salad in a jar.

olive mix

This is the one I used.

stuffing tenderloins

Just remember to drain your oil based olive salad well before you begin layering.

Next up you’ll want to take your pork tenderloin and first remove the silver skin all around, it’s easy to do just take the tip of a sharp knife, lift up underneath and pull off, be careful not to grab the tender meat.

Once that’s done you’re going to open the pork tenderloin like a book slowly slicing from top to bottom to open it up.

Cover the open pork with plastic wrap, take a meat mallet and pound it flat evenly all around, then you can start the layering process.

I used a thin sliced, sharp provolone cheese as my first layer which goes very well with the olive mix. The cheese also helps anchor the olive mix when it’s all grilled together, but feel free to use your favorite cheese

tenderloin rolls

Then roll into a nice bundle and secure with kitchen twine, rub down with olive oil and now they’re ready for the grill!

grilled tenderloins

First sear the meat on both sides using direct grilling, once the searing is done use indirect grilling keeping the heat around 375F until internal temp reaches 140-145, then take it off. Anything past that it and the meat will start to dry out, and you don’t want that.

Start checking the temp after 20 to 25 minutes.

A delicious and pretty main course to serve with any side dish of your choice!

5.0 from 2 reviews
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Stuffed With Olive Muffalatta
 
Print
A super flavorful main course with a great presentation that gets some help with a store bought olive mix.
Author:
Ingredients
  • I used 2 pork tenderloins because that's how I buy them from Costco. Silver skin removed as per instructions in the post
  • 8 oz, of muffalata olive mix, drained
  • 6 whole sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, cut into small slices
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • a handful of chopped parsley
  • sliced, sharp provolone, enough to cover the bottom of your opened pork tenderloin
  • olive oil, salt and pepper
  • kitchen twine
Instructions
  1. Follow directions in the post for removing the silver skin, opening up the pork tenderloin like a book and pounding it flat.
  2. Drain the olive salad well into a mesh strainer, then place into a small bowl.
  3. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes, garlic and parsley, mix together.
  4. Onto the flattened, open pork, season with a little salt and pepper.
  5. Layer your sliced provolone all around.
  6. Spread the olive mixture all over on top of the cheese.
  7. Roll up tight and secure with kitchen twine.
  8. Rub all sides with olive oil, now ready for the grill.
  9. Place rolls directly on heat to sear but sides with grill marks then turn down to indirect heat. to finish cooking, keeping it around 375 degrees.
  10. After 20- 25 minutes check temp with an instant read thermometer. Temp should be between 140 to 145 internal, anything after the meat will start to dry out and be overcooked.
  11. Let it rest a bit, remove the twine and cut into slices.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
14 Comments Filed Under: Grilled Foods, Meats Tagged: , ,

Cedar Planked Eggplant Parmigiana

June 16, 2022 by 2 Comments

planked eggplant

Here’s a fun and unique twist on the classic way you prepare eggplant parmigiana. First the eggplant slices are grilled then layered and stacked together with the sauce and cheese and placed onto a smoky charred cedar plank.

It’s not fried in the traditional way so it’s less messy and not so heavy, preparing it this way is cleaner and lighter for hot summer days plus it’s a fun presentation.

grilled vegetables

The eggplant is brushed on both sides with olive oil cooking them slightly firm but still soft when grilling. I never waste grill space when I’m out there, I like to take whatever veggies I have on hand and cook them up all at once.

Another fun way to present vegetables is my cedar planked portobellos stuffed with summer veggies.

oil drizzle

Using cedar planks that you slightly char on both sides beforehand infuses the eggplant stacks with a light smokiness.

grilled eggplant

This technique was developed by Steven Raichlen with my version being slightly adapted. He used a smoked tomato sauce, I used a thick marinara. You can also sub out the cheese of your choice. I used fresh mozzarella but in the original recipe burrata was used.

The crunch on top was done with a small amount of breadcrumbs mixed with olive oil and grated parmigiano cheese, which I think gave it a nice finishing touch, but if you want it low carb just eliminate it.

For all you eggplant parmigiana lovers, here’s your new summer version!

Cedar Planked Eggplant Parmigiana
 
Print
A unique and tasty twist on traditional eggplant parmigiana
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 large eggplant, you'll need 12 slices to serve 4
  • fresh mozzarella, 8 slices
  • 2 cups or so of chunky marinara, homemade or store bought
  • ¾ cup of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
  • ¾ cup homemade bread crumbs or panko
  • fresh basil
  • olive oil
  • cedar planks
Instructions
  1. Soak your cedar planks for 1 hour then pat dry and set aside.
  2. Then char the planks on one side for about 2 minutes on direct grilling long enough to darken and smoke but not burn, set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, trim the top and bottom off the eggplant, then with a vegetable peeler, remove every other strip lengthwise.
  4. Cut the eggplant crosswise ¼ inch thick.
  5. Brush olive oil on each side then season with salt and pepper then grill until slightly firm but softened.
  6. Transfer the grilled eggplant slices to a rimmed sheet pan and let cool.
  7. Now assemble the parmigiana onto the smoky planks.
  8. Layer like this... 1 slice eggplant then sauce spread on top, next 1 slice of fresh mozzarella, a sprinkling of the grated cheese and a few basil leaves.
  9. Repeat the second layer ending with an eggplant slice on the top, a dollop of sauce and topped off with the breadcrumbs then more grated cheese and a good drizzle of olive oil.
  10. Place the planked stacks of parmigana onto the grill using indirect heat until the cheese melts nice and gooey and the tops are browned, 10 or 15 minutes.
  11. Serve on their planks.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Signature
2 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Grilled Foods, Side Dishes, Summer, Vegetables Tagged: , , ,