The Hills Are Alive With...Zucchini

It's the time of year when you need to be suspect of the neighbor or friend offering you tomatoes. The tomatoes will no longer be delivered in a clear bag or in a basket. You'll be handed a brown bag that feels slightly heavier than normal. Before you plan the day for canning tomatoes you need to empty the bag. I have found that frequently in late summer the bag only has enough tomatoes on the top to hide the abundance of zucchini on the bottom. I've been raised that you should always accept gifts from the garden when you add that to the "its a sin to waste food" bylaw it becomes a challenge to use all the zucchini. To help with the dilemma try the Zucchini Fritter below. You can add jalepino peppers to the mix if you like heat in your food. Salsa is a perfect dipping agent for these delectable treats! Zucchini Fritters Ingredients 1 large zucchini, finely chopped or grated 1 small onion, chopped jalepeno pepper finely diced (optional reduce onion to half) 3 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup 2% milk 2 cups all-purpose flour salt and pepper to taste garlic powder to taste onion powder to taste cayenne pepper to taste, optional, provides a bit of kick 1/4 cup vegetable shortening Directions: In a large bowl, mix together the zucchini, onion, eggs, Romano cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk, and flour. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Heat about 1 tablespoon of shortening in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of the batter into the skillet, and flatten slightly with the back of a spatula. Turn fritters over when the center appears dry. Cook on the other side until golden brown. Add more shortening to skillet as needed, and continue with remaining batter. About 2 and a half dozen fritters.