Butternut Squash Fritters

 

So many veggies to fritter, so little time.

Shred them up, add eggs, seasonings, and something floury, then fry or fry-and-bake. It’s a great way to eat veggies when you’re craving something decadent. The photo is from a breakfast at the Dug Road Inn last week, along with local greens with pea shoots and a frittata from hens living about 30 miles away.

 

I was in a parking lot in Iowa City a few days ago and the guy in a minivan parked next to me started talking about produce. Being in the food business I can handle long conversations about produce so we chatted. His name was Watermelon Steve, a local veggie broker, and he handed me a Butternut squash as a little bonus for being parked next to him.

So I brought the sweet gift to the Inn and turned it into Fritters. I then of course had to google ‘Watermelon Steve’ and this is what came up from IMDB:

“Episode 34 or Steven Universe: Steven finds out he has his mom’s power to make plants have cognitive thought and brings watermelons to life, until all of them attack the gems.”

Watermelon Steve in the minivan told me his dream is to move to Australia and study UFO’s.

That all sounds pretty good to me.

 

 

Butternuts are the easiest to peel and grate because of their meaty necks, but you could use other winter squash if you have the patience and skill to remove the often hard rind from something the shape of an orb or a football. Some people use a vegetable peeler on Butternuts, I usually slice the neck off then use a knife to shave away the peel. Whatever works for you.

Here are some photos of the knife method from Pickles&Honey.

Here is a video by Tori Avey of using a vegetable peeler for the job, plus a few more tips about cooking Butternuts.

 

 

 

Nice and gloopy. I cooked some fritters one day then refrigerated the batter and finished it off the next day, all seemed to go well. It’s good to have options.

 

 

Fritters can be just fried, or fried and baked. These seem better when fried and baked. I think it gives time for the squash to fully cook–the texture was much creamier than when only fried. I stored the cooked ones for a day in the fridge and they reheated nicely. They are a great little snack or could be a side dish for breakfast, or for chicken, lamb, or something curried might also be tasty.

 

Enjoy!

(And if you are in the U.S. and are able to vote but for some strange reason haven’t yet….GO!! Do it!!)

 

 

 

Butternut Squash Fritters

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together in a large bowl:

6 cups Butternut Squash, peeled and grated

3/4 cup Gluten Free Flour Mix

3 Eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons Thyme, dried

1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons Smoked Paprika

3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg, grated or ground

1 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Pinch of Rosemary

Black Pepper

Mix thoroughly.

Heat a heavy frying pan on over medium heat and add:

1 – 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil, or your favorite frying oil

Form into patties then fry in batches for a few minutes on each side. Replenish oil as needed. 

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes.

 

 

 

It was that time of year again! Gluten-free shortbread Lembas Beauties made by my sister Alice.

Dragonflies, Ponies and Monsters, oh my!

 

 

 

“As you grow older you discover you have two hands—one for helping yourself,

the other for helping others.”

.

Audrey Hepburn

 

 

 

 



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