Courgette & Feta Cheese Fritters with Chilli Mint Yogurt Dip

Serves	Makes about 8 to 10 fritters
Prep time	1 hour
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	1 hour, 30 minutes
Allergy	Egg
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Side Dish, Snack, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party
Region	Turkish
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

These tasty courgette and feta cheese fritters are based on a Turkish recipe I used to make when I lived in Cyprus for my restaurant and are a perfect way to use up a glut of courgettes.

Ingredients

2 large courgettes, coarsely grated
sea salt
4 Spring onions, chopped finely
1 large free-range egg
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
125g Feta cheese or Beyaz Penir - Turkish white cheese (crumbled)
2 heaped tablespoons cornflour
freshly ground black pepper
125ml thick yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground chilli powder or Pul Biber - dried flaked chillies
small bunch of mint, finely chopped
a little oil for frying
lemon wedges to serve

Note

These tasty courgette and feta cheese fritters are based on a Turkish recipe I used to make when I lived in Cyprus for my restaurant and are a perfect way to use up a glut of courgettes.

Directions

Step 1	Put the grated courgettes into a sieve and sit over a plate or a bowl. Add about 2 tablespoons of sea salt and mix. Place a plate or bowl on top and weigh it down with a heavy weight or a large tin. Leave for 30 minutes.
Step 2	Pour the courgette juice away and rinse the grated courgettes well under running water to get rod of the salt. Drain and squeeze any remaining liquid out of them, a good way to to do this is to pop them into a clean tea towel and squeeze them over the sink.
Step 3	Place the grated courgettes into a bowl and add the onions, egg, crumbled Feta cheese and the cornflour - mix well, with your hands is best. Season to taste with the pepper and set to one side in the fridge to chill and firm up a bit.
Step 4	Meanwhile, make the dip; put the yogurt into a serving bowl and add the chilli powder and chopped mint, mix well and set to one side.
Step 5	When you are ready to cook the fritters, heat some oil on a heavy-based non-stick pan and drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot fat, flatten the fritters out with the back of the spoon and fry them on both sides until golden brown, firm and crisp - be patient, this can take about 7 or 8 minutes. As you cook them put the cooked fritters on a paper lined plate and keep them warm. Continue to cook the fritters until the all the mixture has been used.
Step 6	Serve the fritters warm with the yogurt dip and fresh lemon wedges - these are perfect with crusty bread and salad accompaniments.