Since an early-season infestation of squash bugs was squelched, my garden has been resplendent in zucchini.

My vigilance against the pests yielded a bounty of not just yellow zucchini but also “tromboncino” an Italian heirloom cultivar that we tried for the first time this year. Requiring less space than a zucchini, this variety is trellised, which has shaded some of our other plants. The payoff comes in solid flesh for nearly the length of the squash before the bulbous blossom end, where all the seeds are concentrated like a butternut squash.

The tromboncino, however, did initially look susceptible to squash bugs. But after six weeks squash bug-free, the first plant to play host was the neighboring yellow zucchini. And after such a consistent harvest — verging on monotonous — I’m about ready to let the bugs do their worst.

After all, my freezer is stocked with zucchini bread and zucchini muffins. We’ve eaten zucchini sautéd, roasted and air-fried. I’ve stirred it into risotto, layered it into lasagna, grated it into enchilada filling and incorporated it into myriad pasta dishes.

Summer squash fritters are a satisfying vegetarian dish

But I can’t let the season for squash subside without a meal of Turkish-style zucchini fritters. This recipe was a surprise success in a cooking class I constructed about five years ago for members of Jackson Care Connect in partnership with ACCESS and Rogue Valley Family YMCA. It’s much more flexible than instructions suggest.

Confronted with an 11th-hour substitution for classroom preparation, the group adapted it to what we had on hand. No feta cheese? Monterey Jack or even cheddar works here. Dill and mint are typical in dishes from this part of the world, but there’s no reason why cumin seeds or another whole spice can’t be substituted for fresh herbs.

My most recent preparation omitted the cheese entirely for some leftover steamed potatoes that I wanted to incorporate. Of course, the fritters didn’t ooze cheese when cut open, but I thought that effect would be overkill with the grilled halloumi cheese and tzatziki I planned as accompaniments. A thick slab of garden-fresh tomato was the icing on the zucchini cake!

The only aspect of this recipe that can’t be altered is finely chopping the zucchini. Read that again. Grating the zucchini, like a carrot or potato, yields a mushy fritter.

Zucchini Fritters

This vegetarian recipe incorporates the Eastern Mediterranean mainstays of feta and mint with the unexpected savor of dill.

1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for pan frying
1 pound zucchini, finely chopped
3 eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Black pepper, to taste
Dash of salt
2 to 3 fresh mint sprigs, chopped
2 to 3 fresh dill sprigs, chopped
6 to 7 ounces crumbled feta cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion in the 3 tablespoons oil until it is soft and lightly colored.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the flour until well-blended. Season with the pepper and add the salt and herbs; mix well.

Fold feta into the eggs. Spoon in onion-zucchini mixture. Don’t add liquid released from zucchini while cooking.

Over medium heat, film bottom of a nonstick frying pan with oil. Add 2 tablespoons zucchini mixture for one fritter and leave enough space around each fritter for flipping it. Cook until both sides are slightly brown.
Drain on paper towels and serve.

Makes 4 servings.
— Recipe from “Arabesque” by Claudia Roden (Knopf; 2006)