Courgette Fritters - my definitive recipe

It's never possible to grow just a few courgettes, it seems. Every year, food magazines roll out their recipe suggestions, and dutifully I give many of them a try. Some have been great and have made their way into my 'specials' file (named after the vegetarian restaurant I shall run when I grow up). Others have been tried and dumped, for example my stuffed courgette flowers were something and nothing and I still can't get my head around eating flowers. Also ratatouille - inevitably sloppy and lacking in guts, best whizzed into a soup is the kindest thing I can say. On the other hand, I invented courgette longboats (hollowed out and stuffed) and won a great prize for the recipe some years ago. Still make them, actually.

Aaaanyway. Here is my version of the recipe for fritters. Preparation takes about 20 minutes and frying 10-12. Hands get a bit messy but are easily rinsed. This quantity makes around 15 fritters, which could serve, say, 5 as a starter or 3 as a snack. For the full recipe, fry in 2 batches or use 2 large frying pans.

Courgette Fritters
Ingredients:
3 medium courgettes (about 250g), ends trimmed
1 medium onion (about 100g)
2 level tbsp flour (any, but I like gram flour)
1 scant tbsp ground cumin
1 small chilli, fresh or dried (optional), finely snipped
1 egg, lightly beaten
3-4 tbsp oil for shallow frying

Method
1  Grate the courgettes coarsely, placing the grater on 2 layers of kitchen paper so
        you can ...
2  Gather up the corners of the paper and squeeeze over the sink to extract as much
        liquid as possible. This is vital to make sure the fritters 'gel'. Place the gratings
        in a bowl and carefully remove the paper (it might try and get into the mix). An
        alternative to the kitchen paper is to put the gratings in a sieve and press hard,
        but this is less effective.
3  Peel the onion and slice finely, cutting the slices into pieces 2-3cm long, then add.
4  Add the flour, cumin, chilli (if using) and egg, and mix thoroughly.
5  Heat the oil in 1 or 2 large frying pans. When hot, place heaped tablespoonfuls of the
        mixture in, a little apart. Fry for 5-6 minutes on fairly high until well browned,
        then turn and repeat.

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As Adam Wally used to say on children's TV, "But there's a danger element." These fritters are very light and it's a challenge not to eat more than is decent. Challenge failed in this case.