Zucchini fritters

The sun is out, the sky is blue, there's not a cloud to spoil the view... no, no, do not panic, but it is not raining in my heart.

In fact quite the opposite, the pregnancy happiness hormones combined with the beautiful weather outside is making it really hard for me to restrain myself from smiling and singing happy tunes. Not a very suitable office decorum.

It is such an extraordinary break from the cold and grey winter days that I can almost close my eyes and pretend I am back home lying on the grass enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face.

Spring is around the corner, my belly is growing, my birthday is approaching and before I know it, it will be summer again!

Summer means lazy afternoon naps, nice cool swims after work, light salads, tasty BBQs and an abundance of fresh vegetables for dinner, and maybe even a sip or two from a nice cold bottle of beer. And what could best accompany that cold beer other than freshly made batch of mucver (zucchini fritters.)

My mum, in my humble opinion, is the mucver queen as she makes the tastiest and lightest zucchini fritters.
Her version is simple with no fancy spices, herbs or cheeses, purely a feast of zucchini and more zucchini.

The omission of any onion, garlic, strong spices, herbs or cheeses allows you to focus on the main ingredient and taste the freshness and juiciness of the grated zucchini while a touch of parsley gives a small element of surprise to your tastebuds. Served with some natural or Greek yoghurt sprinkled with some fresh dill makes this dish an irresistible addiction.

These fritters can keep up to 3-4 days in the fridge if you can resist the urge not to finish them in one sitting.


Mucver (Zucchini Fritters)

Ingredients:

500 gr zucchini
1/2 bunch of parsley
3 eggs
2 heaped tablespoon of plain flour
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying


Here is how:

Peel the zucchini and grate them by using a grater or a food processor with a grater attachment.

Place the grated zucchini in a large bowl.

Add the flour, eggs, chopped parsley, salt and pepper to the bowl and stir until well combined.

Heat the vegetable oil on a large frying pan. You will need just about to cover the pan at a 1/2 cm depth for shallow frying.

Once the oil is hot, fill a tablespoon of the zucchini mix and drop it carefully into the oil and slightly flatten it with the end of the spoon.

Fry them on one side until light brown and then turn the other side.

Remove the fried fritter and drain on paper towel.

Serve at room temperature or cold with a natural yoghurt sprinkled with dill leaves.

Afiyet olsun!

Hommus

As I was wondering what I could entertain your taste buds with next, one of my dear friends, ever so divine Mama Colombiana, wanted me to pass on my hommus recipe. This one is especially for her.

I have to confess I have never actually tasted hommus until I came to Australia. My mother used to make a lot of fava (a thick solid paste made from broad beans served as an appetiser) but never hommus.

As I mentioned before, my family is from the western part of Turkey and our cuisine is more influenced by our Mediterranean neighbours rather than our Arabic ones. So I have learnt to like and make hommus during my days working in the kebab shop in Newcastle while waiting for my bridging visa.

I have also found out during that time that hommus is very widely known and consumed in Eastern Turkey where food is very much influenced by the Arabic and Persian cuisines and spices. In Adana, they even make different versions of hommus. 

Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is made by using high quality Arabica beans. The beans are roasted and then ground into a very thin dust-like powder. It is prepared by mixing the ground coffee in water (with or without sugar depending on your preference) in a special pot called cezve and served in small coffee cups similar to espresso cups but with a much thinner rim.

The Turkish coffee is all about testing your patience. The only way to savour it properly is to simmer it over a very low heat over the stove until a thick foam covers the top of the cezve. You then need to wait for the grounds to settle before you can start sipping it, otherwise your mouth will be bombarded with the coffee grounds.

It is traditionally served with a glass of water on the side to ensure that you drink some of the water before you start sipping your coffee. The water cleanses your palate to allow you to better taste the coffee. Also, unlike the Italian espresso, you need to take small sips of the Turkish coffee and let it linger on your taste buds as long as possible.

Carrot and yoghurt dip

Carrots, very much like the bananas, are the fast food of the nature. They are tasty, easy to eat and are packed with an abundance of nutrition and vitamins.

We use them in salads and they accompany almost all the zeytinyaglilar (vegetables cooked in olive oil and served cold) but interestingly, they are mostly the supporting actors and hardly ever the stars of any dish in the Turkish cuisine. Yet, as there is almost a meze (appetiser) made from every ingredient possible in Turkey, there is also one made from carrots. 

I am sure everyone would have one or two carrots lying around aimlessly in their fridge at all times. This dip is a great last minute resort when you have unexpected guests, as it is not only very easy to make but also very healthy and tastes delicious.