Zucchini Arancini

Photo: Charlotte Hedley www.lottiehedle

Ingredients

• 3 zucchini, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• A small handful of parsley, finely chopped
• Thyme leaves, to taste
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (40g) finely grated pecorino
• 1/2 cup (100g) fine dry breadcrumbs, plus more, to coat
• 100g mozzarella, cut into 1cm cubes
• Vegetable oil, to deep-fry

Method

Place the grated zucchini into a clean tea towel and wring it out over the sink to remove excess liquid. Place zucchini into a large bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Gently cook the onion and garlic until translucent, then add to the zucchini.

Add the parsley, thyme, pepper, eggs, pecorino and breadcrumbs.

Mix well and season with salt and pepper. If the mixture seems too wet add some more breadcrumbs, though it should be fairly moist.

Take a small handful of the mixture and flatten a little in the palm of your hand. Place a cube of mozzarella in the centre, then enclose with the zucchini mixture and shape into a ball. Roll in the fine breadcrumbs to thoroughly coat.

Half-fill a large saucepan with vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Deep-fry arancini in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

NOTE: You can make these in big batches and freeze them after crumbing. They make a great lunch snack in the middle of winter.