SQUASH FRITTERS WITH GARLIC YOGHURT & CRISPY SAGE
#cookwitholiveoil 4.

In this recipe, we use Honest Toil to make deliciously crispy squash “keftedes”, or fritters, developed and photographed by @allegradagostini . On her Substack (worth following!), Allegra writes:

“When Juli asked me to create a recipe using Honest Toil, I was all in. Truthfully, I cook and bake with olive oil every day. Light, crispy, and always served alongside yogurt or tzatziki, keftedes are heavenly and felt like a no-brainer. In Greece, they’re often made with zucchini, but they can be made with any vegetable. Here, they’re given a winter spin with squash and warm spices, then lightly fried in olive oil and served alongside thick, garlicky yogurt and crispy sage.”

Don’t shy away from using evoo here, it will make them tastier + healthier.

Ingredients: for 15 fritters
1 medium squash
2 scallions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1⁄2 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
2 large eggs
50–60g plain flour
240 g Greek yogurt
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
Honest Toil
Small bunch of sage
Salt & pepper

Method
1. Peel & halve squash, scoop out seeds and grate the flesh. Sprinkle with salt, toss then let sit for about 15min in a sieve placed above a bowl to let the water drip out.
2. While you wait, combine scallions, 1 clove minced garlic, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, eggs and 50g flour in a large bowl.
3. Squeeze the squash to remove any remaining water, then add to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix. If mixture seems wet, stir in the remaining flour, it should hold together when pressed.
4. Add evoo to a skillet to create 1 cm depth and place over medium heat. Scoop 2-3 heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the pan, flattening them with the back of the spoon. Fry until golden brown, about 2–3 minutes/side. Remove fritters with a slotted spoon & transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat with remaining batter.
5. Whisk Greek yogurt, remaining minced garlic clove, lemon juice & salt.
6. To a clean pan, add 2 tbsp evoo and heat over medium. Once hot, fry the sage leaves for 5–10 sec until crisp. Drizzle sage oil with leaves over yoghurt & serve!