We Saw You

Eleanor Friedberger

 

Eleanor Friedberger does not particularly enjoy pina coladas or getting caught in the rain. She does, however, have a love for deep-frying zucchinis on tiny Greek islands in the summer. When asked about her new album, Personal Record, she shies away from revealing too much about how personal it actually is. It’s only when she starts quietly describing the view from her window, dotted with trees and the back view of a little church, that you catch a glimpse of Eleanor’s personal space.

 

Interview by Zofia Ciechowska, image by Carlijn Potma

 

 

My mother is Greek, so I do a lot of Greek cooking. In the summer I love making things with zucchini, especially these zucchini fritters called kolokythokeftedes. I grew up surrounded by my mother’s Greek family, my great-grandmother was alive until I was 13 and she cooked a lot for us. After she died we only had Greek food from time to time. When I was 20, my mother, grandmother and I went to Greece together and since then I’ve been going there regularly. It was my Greek reawakening. I started taking Greek classes and cooking a lot of Greek food after these trips. These zucchini fritters weren’t something I had when I was growing up, I had them in restaurants in Greece and now I make them all the time. I usually go to Greece for my birthday in September; it’s the best time of year to go. I’ve had several birthday parties where I’ve made a lot of Greek food. I don’t roast a lamb on a spit, though; I mainly cook vegetarian dishes.

 

 

Kolokythokeftedes

 

Ingredients:

3-4 zucchinis, grated and drained on kitchen towel for at least an hour
1 cup of chopped scallions
1 cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup of chopped fresh mint
1 cup grated hard cheese (Myzithra, pecorino or Parmesan)
a little cornstarch
1 egg
1 tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
olive oil and safflower oil for frying

Method:

• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

• Form patties with a spoon, making golf ball-sized scoops. I like to make the patties in advance and put them in the fridge until I’m ready to fry them, once guests have arrived.

• In a large, deep skillet heat one and a half inches of combined olive and safflower oil over medium high heat. Fry, turning once, for about three or four minutes on each side, or until nicely browned.  

• Place on paper towel, season with a little extra salt, and serve hot with tzatziki yogurt dip. (But they’re great at room temperature too.)

 

 

Tatziki

 

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, seeds removed, grated and drained on kitchen towel
1-2 cloves garlic, or to taste
2 cups of thick, sheep’s-milk yogurt
about 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
about 2 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
salt and plenty of cracked black pepper

Method:

• Squeeze the grated cucumber, pressing hard between your hands, to extract as much liquid as possible.

• Use a mortar and pestle to make a paste from the diced garlic and salt.

• Place all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and combine.

• Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

• Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve with the fritters.

 

Eleanor Friedberger takes her solo act to EKKO, Utrecht on 6 September. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members.