Squash Fritters

My mother often mentioned different kinds of fritters that she ate when growing up... apple fritters, okra fritters, squash fritters, etc. Since we have a lot of squash right now I googled Squash Fritters and there are lots of different versions. Here's one I made this week that turned out good.

Ingredients:

4 or 5 medium yellow summer squash, 1 pound
lightly salted water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg -- beaten
oil for frying

Preparation:

Remove stem and blossom ends of squash and cut into large chunks. Place in a pot, cover with the lightly salted water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook until squash is very tender, 10 or 15 minutes. Drain well and mash. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. You can cover and refrigerate for a few hours or fry right away. To fry, heat oil in a deep fryer or frying pan. Drop squash batter by spoonfuls into hot oil. If using a frying pan, mash the fritters down a little bit so they are flat and turn after each side is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Here are my fritters frying in the frying pan:



Do not add any more liquid to the batter, because lots of water comes out of the squash even after you have drained them. I mashed mine while still in the colander so that more of the liquid would drain out. Then after mixing with the remaining ingredients, I even added a small amount more cornmeal.

I sprinkled a small amount of salt and pepper on the fritters while they were frying. You might want to decrease the salt in the batter if you do this, especially if you are watching your salt intake, but it mades them taste really good!

Also, when I made my first batch, I only had about 3/4 cup mild cheddar cheese on hand and that turned out well too. I plan to made this today for one of the side dishes for my Sunday Dinner, using sharp cheddar cheese.