Kolokythokarotokeftedés

Early on, when I first started writing this blog, I posted a recipe for zucchini fritters and called them Greek kolokitho keftedes. Note I wrote two words when, in fact, it is one word – kolokythokeftédes (κολοκυθοκεφτέδες). It is a bit of a tongue-twister which took me quite some time to pronounce correctly, years, in fact. Perhaps this explains why I initially broke it down into two words.

Also, the majority of kolokythokeftédes that come out of Greek kitchens are more substantial than my pancake-like zucchini fritters. In fact, I have seen kolokythokeftédes in numerous restaurant menus translated into English as ‘zucchini balls’, that is, pointing out their affinity to meatballs (κεφτές). 

Now I’ve added carrot to the mix, and carrot (karoto) simply gets tacked on: kolokythokarotokeftédes. A doddle to pronounce.

Courgette & Carrot Keftedes
A colourful combination of courgette (zucchini) and carrot in substantial vegetable keftedes, traditionally served as meze along with other plates of dips and small tasty dishes. But they are great as a lunch with a fresh tomato salad – green, orange and red on the plate.

Makes about 9 patties

• 2 small-medium size courgettes (optionally with flowers)
• 1 small carrot
• 1 rounded tablespoon of flour, plus more for coating
• End of a loaf of old sourdough bread, crust removed, approximately 65 to 70g
• small bunch of dill
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper
• olive oil for frying

First clean and grate the courgettes and shred the flowers (if available) after removing the pistils. Place in a bowl and sprinkle on a little salt. Wait until the courgette pieces begin to sweat. It should only take a few minutes. Crush the pieces with your hands, extracting more liquid. Rinse under cold water in a colander and dry the courgette on paper towels or a tea towel. Clean and dry the bowl before placing the courgette back in.

Add the grated carrot, the tablespoon flour, chopped dill, grated or processed bread crumbs, and the egg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and form into small patties approximately 5-6cm in diameter.

Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan. The oil should cover the bottom plus a little more. Place on medium heat. Meanwhile, put some flour in a shallow bowl. When the oil is beginning to shimmer, place the patties in the flour and turn over, shaking off any excess. Immediately place in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Carefully turn over and let it get brown on the other side. Don’t let the heat get to high or the centre will not cook before you get the brown crust.

Place on paper towels to drain and serve.

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Much to my amazement, these are very similar to the Circus Gardner’s recently posted Courgette, Carrot and Haloumi Burger, only mine are smaller and have no cheese.