So Simple a Kid Can Make It

When we were kids, summer camp taught us a couple of basic life lessons: (1) Kool-Aid stains do not come out easily, while Cheetos stains somehow do; and (2) on overnight trips, when the counselors “hang out” by the campfire at night, they are not just “hanging out” by the campfire.

Things are a little different with our girls, who came home from day camp last summer, walked into the kitchen with a bunch of recipes, and asked, “Can we make dinner tonight?” The menu: squash fritters with soy dipping sauce and apricot crumble for dessert. Who were these kids, and what the heck had happened? Well, they’d been lucky enough to attend Farm Camp, run by the Stone Barns Center in Pocantico Hills, New York. You might know it as our CSA resource, or maybe as the place that provides much of the food served at chef Dan Barber’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, possibly the most celebrated farm-to-table destination restaurant in the country.  If all this sounds absurd, it is–but in the best way.

What we love most about the experience is that the camp reflected the mission of our family table as well. Behind it all was a desire to instill some love for great ingredients prepared as simply as possible. “Look at the colors,” one counselor would say after helping campers prepare a stack of those tasty fritters. “Look at the texture. How beautiful is that?” Pretty beautiful, if you ask us.

Zucchini Fritters with Soy Sauce
Fritters can be made 30 minutes ahead. Keep warm in a 200° oven.

Dipping Sauce
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1½ teaspoons sugar
Crushed red pepper flakes

Fritters
1½ pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), grated
½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
1 large egg
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives|
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup vegetable oil

Make sauce: Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Make fritters: Place zucchini in a colander set in the sink and toss with ½ teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then wring zucchini dry in a clean kitchen towel. Place zucchini in a large bowl and gently mix in egg, flour, chives, and cornstarch; season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, drop ¼-cupfuls zucchini mixture into skillet, flattening slightly; cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to a paper towel–lined plate; season with salt. Serve with soy dipping sauce.