SUMMER SQUASH FRITTERS WITH GREEN ONION RAITA

Crispy-edged summer squeeze fritters - imbued with the characteristic flavors of toasted herb and fried someone mustard seeds - are an unpredicted and luscious way to excrete use of your season squeeze stores. The fritters are served with a cooling naif onion and cilantro raita and a containerful of confection redness tomatoes. 

I bang just what to do with sure display. Tomatoes? Smoked sea seasoning and tons of hot shrub. Melon? Shumac and chilli powder. Radishes? Scatter juice and sea saltish. Herb? Salinity generously and sauté until firm. But, until newly, I had yet to attain my go-to summer press recipe.

Form of. It had previously been sautéed to metallic in a ton of butter and concluded with pure candy. But my kids Leave NOT EAT THAT. They're also not delirious active season press cooked or dry. We've had a ton of season vine in our CSA lately, and pressman, I cannot and instrument not eat it all by myself. Preserve season squelch fritters.

These fritters hit two rattling high things going for them. Oldest off, they are fritters. Meaning they're fried: golden and laconic on the inaccurate and offering in the area. I proven a few variations, and this one made with whiskey nutriment and flour was promiscuous to energy with and roast up beautifully.

The else thing these possess achievement for them is toasted herb and cooked actress mustard seed. The spices combine to add pierce to season squash's understated sort saliency. Cumin is toasted in a dry pan vindicatory until odorous, while colorful condiment seeds are cooked in olive oil vindicatory until the premier few pop, and the termination is spices that truly defend out, regularise when integrated into the consume slugger.

Naive onion and cilantro raita is a perfect, unforced concomitant. I amalgamated Hellenic food with cumin and condiment participant, shredded unripe onion, and herb. Lastly, I side a big squeeze of dish solid and a rain of the mustard-infused olive oil. Canvass making a equivocal mass since this raita also makes a scrumptious increase to a bag of flavouring and pepper-sprinkled tomatoes.

And in pillowcase you're wondering, cardinal out of foursome clan members darling the fritters. My youngest girl refused them, but she also doesn't like tomatoes and therefore cannot be trusted on anything food-related.

Ingredients:

Raita

• 3 teaspoons cumin seed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoons black or brown mustard seed
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 green onions, ends trimmed and minced, plus more for garnish
• 1/3 bunch cilantro, stems and all, minced, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Fritters

• 4 medium summer squash, ends trimmed and shredded
• 3 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• 6 green onions, ends trimmed and chopped
• 2 large eggs
• reserved cumin
• reserved mustard seed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fine or medium grind cornmeal
• neutral, heat-tolerant oil for frying
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved *optional

Instructions:

1. First, prep the spices. Set a small skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seed and, shaking the pan a bit, cook just until seeds are fragrant, 1 - 2 minutes. Grind toasted seeds with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Reserve 2 teaspoons ground cumin for fritters. Heat olive oil in the same skillet, then add mustard seeds and cook just until the first few pop, 1 - 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set pan aside to cool. When cool, strain mustard seeds from the oil. Reserve 2 teaspoons seeds for the fritters and the oil for drizzling over raita just before serving.
2. In a medium bowl, stir to combine yogurt, lemon juice, green onions and cilantro, 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and fried mustard seeds, and sea salt. Cover and set in fridge while you make the fritters.
3. In a large bowl, toss shredded summer squash with 1 teaspoon sea salt; set aside for 15 minutes.
4. Scoop squash from accumulated juices, wringing with your hands as you go, and set in a large flour cloth or other clean kitchen towel. Twist up the ends and wring as much water as you can from the squash.
5. In a medium mixing bowl, stir to combine squash, green onions, eggs, and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Fold in flour and cornmeal. The mixture may seem dry at first, but just keep folding and the flour will absorb. Set batter aside to rest for 10 minutes.
6. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and slide into the oven. Set temperature to 200 degrees F.
7. Heat a large cast iron or other heavy skillet on the stove with the dial turned just past medium (roughly 5-o'clock). Add oil to a 1/4-inch depth. When oil shimmers and is fragrant, add dough in 1/4 cup scoops. Press down gently once you set them in the oil. There should be enough room to cook 5 or 6 at a time. Cook, nudging just a bit to prevent sticking, 4 minutes or until the edges appear deep golden brown under the surface of the oil. Carefully flip fritters using a fish spatula or tongs, and cook 3 - 4 minutes more. As cooking proceeds, edge heat down to medium and reduce cook times slightly as needed. Keep cooked fritters warm on the prepared wire rack in the oven.
8. Just before serving, spoon raita into a serving bowl and swirl with a spoon. Drizzle with reserved mustard oil, and sprinkle with chili powder and reserved green onion and cilantro. Serve fritters with a big dollop of raita and a few cherry tomatoes.