Zucchini and yellow squash cakes with cilantro & mint garlicky yogurt sauce

By barbgreenfield

This recipe can be made two ways: The first has a more Italian feel with parsley and lemon, while the other flirts with Mexican or Southeast Asian flavors with lime and cilantro. Whichever style you choose to make, the yogurt dipping sauce takes the dish into the realms of Greece and India. It's impressive how much you can travel the world in one plate of food, no?
Makes 12 cakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup mint
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 small clove of garlic, microplaned or mashed into a paste
• 1 pound squash, grated
• 1 pound zucchini, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground fresh nutmeg
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1/4 cup mint
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ounce olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

To make the yogurt sauce, combine the first five ingredients. Let mixture sit for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the squash and the zucchini in a colander and toss with the salt. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, tossing and squeezing every 10 minutes to extract the excess water from the mixture. After 30 minutes, transfer the squash mixture to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the rest of the excess water. Transfer to a large bowl and add the next eight ingredients. Make the cakes using a 1/4 cup to measure and shape the cakes. Heat a pan over medium heat. In a large pan, add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter and oil are melted together, add the cakes (don't overcrowd the pan) and cook each side for five minutes or until crispy dark brown. The cakes will stick, but if you give them 3 minutes before you try to move them, they will release from the pan easily with a little scraping from a spatula. Once browned on both sides, transfer to a sheet pan with a wire rack insert and cook the next batch. Once the cakes are all cooled, serve immediately with the yogurt sauce.

Tip: Capture the juice that comes out of the squash mixture by placing a bowl under the colander (you should have about 11/2 cups). Add 9 ounces of your best gin along with the juice of 1 lime and stir until combined. Serve over ice and enjoy a well deserved after-cooking cocktail. If you want it a little sweet, add simple syrup to taste.