Chickpea and Zucchini Fritters

I found a wonderful Donna Hay recipe, tweaked it just a little bit, making it a tad spicy. A tiny chili pepper is added for heat. I love the spicy, slightly tropical flavor of tiny Thai peppers. They come in red and green. I find them in my regular supermarket. If you can't find Thai peppers, use a little minced jalapeno pepper instead. Dill and lemon lend freshness. There's a nice balance of flavors and textures going on here. I just love these fritters! I hope you do too! 

Chickpea & Zucchini Fritter Recipe

(minimally adapted from Donna Hay's Zucchini and Chickpea Fritters)

Makes 10 fritters

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium zucchini, grated. I use the large holes on a handheld box grater for this.
• Some or all of one Thai pepper, minced. You can also use a jalapeno pepper.
• 2 lemons, zest half of one and reserve the zest.
• 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced. I use a microplane zester for this.
• A generous handful of fresh dill. About 1/4 cup. Fresh basil or mint would work too.
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup self-rising flour (for a gluten free choice Use Pamela's Baking Mix)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 large eggs
• Salt to taste
• Oil for cooking. I use olive oil.
• To Serve: Greek yogurt, sour cream, lemon wedges, flaky sea salt

Instructions 

Place the rinsed and drained chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and whiz to a chunky consistency. Don't process the chickpeas all the way down as if you're making hummus. They should still have some structure. Place the grated zucchini, minced chili, minced garlic, lemon zest, a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice, dill, milk, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Add the processed chickpeas. Add self rising flour to the bowl and stir everything together. Start with 1/3 of self rising flour and add more if the mixture seems too wet.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium high with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. I used my nonstick Scanpan for this recipe. Drop batter by 1/3 cup fulls into the hot pan. Cook until golden brown on each side. 

Serve with lemon wedges and any of the suggestions.

 Bon Appetit!