Monday, November 05, 2007

Grazing On Puffs

Lemon and Zucchini Puffs

What happened to spring? Just as we had become accustomed to the longer days and the prospect of being exposed to copious amounts of UV rays; the sunshine and fair weather plays a game of hide-and-seek. The past week has been incredibly rainy, and I mean the kind of unrelenting rain that falls sideways and no amount of umbrella cover can shield you from its downpour.

If only we could marshal the clouds into one corner of Sydney- over the catchment area that is, and we could still enjoy lovely weather everywhere else. I think that technology is still several years away. So for now all I can do is call out and say- spring come back!

zucchini ribbons

Lemon and Zucchini Puffs

So when stuck at home, craving for a little bit of spring weather the second best thing to do is eat spring. Yes eat spring. I needed a little pick me up to graze on before going out to dinner with a friend and brave the cold and wet outside. This was the perfect thing. Fresh, light and a cinch to make. And odds are most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen, aside from the zucchini that you may have to go out and buy, the rest are stock ingredients that’s in everyone’s pantry.

I know most of you are aware that there is no room in my kitchen for a deep fryer; that real estate will just never be available on my kitchen countertop, but for a little bit of shallow-frying action, I can happily acquiesce in.

Lemon and Zucchini Puffs

And I apologise if this post is sounding a little lax and uninspired but it’s just been one of those days, week even, where all you want to do is run for the covers, grab a DVD and some of these puffs and literally fritter the night away.

Perhaps I’ll be a little more enthused when the sun perks up from its slumber. But as for now, I’m revelling in this opportunity to lounge and laze and until spring comes back and hoists me out this recliner.

Lemon and Zucchini Puffs

If you're interested in frittering away too, here is the recipe.

Lemon and Zucchini Puffs
from Donna Hay Magazine Issue 35
makes 8

Lemon and Zucchini Puffs

FOR THE PUFFS
3 x 150g large zucchini (courgettes) shaved into ribbons
¼ cup thinly sliced mint leaves
3 eggs
¼ cup self-raising flour
sea salt and cracked black pepper
vegetable oil for shallow-frying

FOR THE LEMON AIOLI
2 egg yolks
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove crushed
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup olive oil

TO MAKE THE LEMON AIOLI
Place egg yolks, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and process until combined.
Gradually pour in the oil while the motor is still running and process until the mixture is thick and smooth.

TO MAKE THE PUFFS
Place the zucchini, mint, eggs, flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir well to combine.
Heat 1cm of oil in a large non-stick frypan over medium heat.
Add about 2 tablespoonfuls of the mixture and shallow-fry in batches for 1-2 minutes each side or until puffed up and golden.
Serve with lemon aioli.

27 comments:

Cris said...

It's been raining a lot here in Brazil too, we share the same seasons. I love these puffs, you know I keep trying to find new ways to sneak in food to our kids, this looks great to me!

Anonymous said...

mmm lovely recipe!

Gretchen Noelle said...

These look incredibly appetizing and tasty! Your pictures are gorgeous as well.

Anonymous said...

So it is a bit like pancake... When spring comes, I would need to try that.

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Jen, this is a lovely recipe with some of my fave ingredients. So refreshing with the lemon aoli too!

Anonymous said...

I love Donna Hay's recipes. They always turn out so well. This one sounds delicious and healthy!

Anonymous said...

these are so incredibly beautiful and airy - the pictures are stunning!

i can jut taste them now, is that maldon?

hope the rain relents -Aria

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

trust me, Jenn, this post sounds FAR from lax and uninspired - ALL of your posts are brilliant!! wow, those zucchini "curls/shavings" are gorgeous - such beautiful photographs!

Rachel said...

These look lovely!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I think these sound heavenly - thanks for the recipe & great photo!
greetings from lavaterra.blog.de
(munic,germany)

Graeme said...

Wow, incredible photos, Jen.

The salt on top is making my mouth water. Really, really nice.

Anonymous said...

These look fantastic!!!

Michael @ Herbivoracious.com said...

Those looks really good. There used to be a place in Seattle that made these awesome grilled sandwiches that were filled with zucchini cakes much like the ones you show there, minus the aioli. The middle eastern guy that ran the place got rounded up in post 9-11 deportations, which really sucked.

Michael
The Herbivoracious Blog

Anonymous said...

I would love to try this out. It's simple and yet satisfying.

Nabeela said...

lovely pictures of the sliced zucchini ribbons. And fritters sound good for the kind of weather we're having.

Anonymous said...

Yum. At least you're not going into Winter!

Anonymous said...

Your zucchini shavings look like gorgeous ribbon! And I was delighted to find out that the other flavor in these puffs was lemon - sounds really delicious. I hope the good weather comes back!

Anonymous said...

Your blog, your recipes, your pictures are all captivating... I love it!!
Thank you for so much of happiness you brought me tonite...
Valerie.

Anonymous said...

At least you should have spring -- and you have summer coming up. I, on the other hand, saw snow flakes earlier today. Don't know if I'll survive another winter .... Perhaps those puffs will cheer me up. They look lovely. Springy.

Sara, Ms Adventures in Italy said...

Beautiful photos!! I'm curious, did you try to pair them with something else other than the lemon aioli? They sound lovely but I'm not a big fan of aioli.

Katia Mangham said...

Jen,

They look absolutely delightful and the photos are so bright and airy. Beautiful!! I can't wait to try them!

NiNo said...

wooowwwww

Gloria Baker said...

Oh my!! this looks really lovely and I love appetizers!! so nice recipe and the pictures beuatiful! Gloria

Helene said...

I just made these with yellow squash and cilantro and we had them for brunch...perfect for our fall which right now is more like spring...sunny and warm. Thanks for the recipe Jen, it's a keeper!

fanny said...

Jen these look soooo yummy.
xxx

Kajal@aapplemint said...

hey these look delicious. The photography is fantastic and love the thin slices of zucchini.

Glimmer said...

We've just ate them- thank You for the recipe! They are delicious :) I quoted your recipe on my blog:
http://glimmercreations.blogspot.com/2009/03/cukiniowe-puffs-zamiast-plackow.html