On the weekend, we had my sisters 21st birthday party. 93 people, at our family home, and my mum decided to cater the whole thing! Most people would have a fit over something like this, but my mum was determined to organise the whole thing. I think my love of food and cooking must come from her, because she seemed to really enjoy the whole process, as much as it was quite stressful. I decided to give her my help in the kitchen over the weekend, and although most of my help came in the form of browning off meat, frying bits and pieces and pitching in here and there, I did get responsibility over one recipe.
You wouldn’t think much of Zucchini and Haloumi fritters. Unless you are me, as I think that haloumi is God’s gift to man. If I could eat haloumi every day for the rest of my life, and not get fat, I would do it. But alas it must be saved for special occasions. When I saw this recipe for Zucchini and Haloumi fritters, I figured they would be a great canapé to serve at the party. Not only were they super simple to make; they were perfect for Vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
The recipe from Taste was a good one, but I did make some modifications based on what we had. I also managed to make them gluten free, which meant my sister could actually eat them. The recipe below was also for a large batch, about 50 fritters. Before you question the amount we made, these were by far one of the most popular canapés we served at the party, so perhaps making a few extra is not such a bad thing. Plus you will want leftovers of these bad boys.
Zucchini and Haloumi Fritters
Preparation Time: 40 minutes (30 if you have a food processor)
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 50 bite-sized fritters
Ingredients
- 600 grams of Zucchini (4 big zucchinis, or about 10 little ones)
- 2 onions(It doesn’t matter what type, I used both)
- 500 grams of haloumi cheese
- 4 teapsoons of lemon rind
- 4 eggs,
- 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley (the recipe called for dill, but I don’t really like it. Plus we only had parsley, so I had to improvise!)
- Olive oil, for frying
- To serve: relish or aioli of your choice
Method
- Grate the zucchini’s. I did this in a food processor to make it really quick, and I think this is the easiest way to do it. If you don’t have a food processor, simply grate with a hand grater.
- Put the grated zucchini in a bowl and set aside for about 15 minutes to let the liquid start to seep out. You need the zucchini to have as little liquid as possible in it, so the longer you leave it the better, as this helps the zucchini to release this.
- Next, grate your haloumi and onion. I did this in the food processor and finely chopped the pieces that didn’t grate. You could again use a hand held grater if you don’t have a food processor.
- Squeeze the zucchini in order to remove the remaining moisture. I am sure there is a better way to do this, but I grabbed small handfuls of the mixture and squeezed it between my hands over the sink. You would be surprised how effective this is – I managed to get most of the liquid out. Transfer this to the processor bowl.
- Move the zucchini, haloumi and onion mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add in the flour, lemon rind, eggs and parsley. I then added a pinch of salt and a generous serving of pepper. Stir to combine; making sure it is really well mixed.
- Form the mixture into small bite-sized patties. Set on a tray and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to get them firmed up.
- Heat a generous amount of oil in the frying pan. Frying in batches, place a few of the fritters in the fry pan, frying on one side for 1-2 minutes, or until golden. Turn over with a spatula and cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes, or until golden. Once cooked, place on some paper towel to drain.
Once I had cooked these it was easy to store them until the party, where we reheated them in the oven. We served them with a dollop of tomato relish on top, which was absolutely delicious! You could do the same, or serve them with an aioli, as suggested by the original recipe. I think these are the perfect vehicle for a number of toppings, or even just to eat on their own! They were really delicious, and were one of the only canapés we served at the 21st that we didn’t have leftovers of. I think the results speak for themselves!
Let me know in the comments below if you are thinking of trying this recipe for your next party, and what you would serve them with! I will definitely be trying these ones again!
