Recipe of the Week: Zucchini Fritters with Dipping Sauce

Ingredients: lemon, eggs, scallions, garlic, ricotta, zucchini, flour and olive oil

What's not to love about zucchini and fresh ricotta — especially fried? I needed a dish for a potluck and this recipe caught my eye. I find it's best to save the more decadent recipes for entertaining, so there isn't a whole plate left in the fridge. Luckily, we received fresh garlic from the CSA two weeks ago, and its been drying on the counter waiting to be used. My only alteration would have been to read the recipe properly and grate the zucchini on the coarse side of my box grater (instead of the fine side). And, do wring out the zucchini in a clean kitchen towel, or two. They release a lot of liquid!

With the abundance of zucchini that all you gardeners will have pretty soon, this recipe is a nice way to vary your cooking methods. It written by Mario Batali and published in Food and Wine magazine — you can find it in its entirety here. I do, however, want to add my own touch to this dish and that is in the form of a dipping sauce that I came up with just before leaving for the potluck.

Recipe: Sweet Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until a smooth consistency is achieved.

• 3/4 cup low-fat, plain yogurt 
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese)
• 1 T agave syrup (this may be substituted with honey)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Freshly fried fritters