Poblanos are typically not as spicy as a jalapeño but still have a nice heat and flavor to them. Use them in Zucchini, Corn and Poblano Fritters with Chipotle Dipping Sauce.

Poblanos are typically not as spicy as a jalapeño but still have a nice heat and flavor to them. Use them in Zucchini, Corn and Poblano Fritters with Chipotle Dipping Sauce.

Poblanos are typically not as spicy as a jalapeño but still have a nice heat and flavor to them. Use them in Zucchini, Corn and Poblano Fritters with Chipotle Dipping Sauce.

All signs point to fall arriving. Evenings are cool enough to suddenly require a sweatshirt, and if you look closely a few trees have a touch of yellow creeping into their leaves.

Obviously, the kids are back at school, and avoiding getting stuck behind a yellow school bus takes strategy and a bit of luck. Football is back, and making a pot of soup actually has some potential versus a few weeks ago when there was no way I was turning on my stove and adding even 1 degree of heat to the already stifling temperatures.

And while there might be an abundance of signs that a new season is here, I’m feeling a little nostalgic that another summer is fading away. When I look back on the last few months, I see a time filled to the brim with kids’ activities and hours and hours at the Naches pool for swim team. We watched baseball and soccer and drove hours to deliver a son to lacrosse camp. There were road trips, time at the lake and late-night movies.

The pantry was almost always empty and the house vibrated at a barely contained level of chaos most of the time. And I already miss it. The house feels too quiet all day while the kids are at school. Even the dogs seem a little sad without their constant buddies.

I’m just not convinced it’s time to say goodbye to summer. I’ve got a few more hikes I want to get in before the weather truly starts changing. And while a loaf of pumpkin bread or an apple pie is enticing, the sheer volume of tomatoes being pumped out of my garden daily means I’m just not quite there.

Local produce is in its prime. If you can make some time to hit a fruit stand or the farmers market this month, do it. You will be delighted by the abundance of options available. And although my garden was mostly neglected all summer, it continues to produce squash, cucumbers, tomatoes and blackberries.

Zucchini, corn and poblano fritters came to be after realizing the poblano plants I planted last spring, then promptly forgot about, actually grew quite well and are now laden with peppers. I love poblanos for their earthy heat. They are not typically as spicy as a jalapeño but still have a nice heat and flavor to them. I love to use them in a variety of dishes but especially to make salsa and in chicken enchiladas, and I’ve used them to make stuffed peppers, hollowing out the seeds and filling the pepper with rice, beans and cheese.

Poblanos are typically not as spicy as a jalapeño but still have a nice heat and flavor to them. Use them in Zucchini, Corn and Poblano Fritters with Chipotle Dipping Sauce.

For this recipe, I roasted the poblanos under the broiler for a few minutes until they were charred. Then I let them cool and peeled off the outer skin. I wanted the charred flavor and to mellow the peppers. This extra step is a lovely addition to the recipe but not completely necessary. You can always just seed and chop the poblanos if you prefer. The chipotle dipping sauce plays to the smoky, charred flavors in the fritters with chipotle peppers in adobo. The sauce is the perfect cool, creamy, slightly smoky spicy flavor to take this recipe over the top.

Zucchini, Corn and Poblano Fritters

2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded

Preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the poblano peppers on the baking sheet and char under the broiler for about 5 to 8 minutes, rotating with tongs until all sides of the peppers are charred. Remove from oven and transfer peppers to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool for 10 minutes.

While the peppers cool, wash and shred zucchini and cut corn off the cob (about 2 ears of corn). Squeeze the moisture from the shredded zucchini and place in a large bowl. Add the corn.

Take the plastic wrap off the bowl of peppers and peel the skin from the peppers. The skin should peel away easily. Remove the stem and seeds and dice the peppers finely. Add to the bowl along with the corn and zucchini.

Add the flour, garlic powder, fresh chives, salt, pepper and eggs. Mix to combine, creating a savory pancake-like batter.

Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add two tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to the pan and allow the pan to heat up. Using a cookie scoop, add about 2 tablespoons of batter to the hot pan and cook for about 2 minutes on one side before flipping over and cooking an additional 2 minutes. The fritters should be golden brown on both sides. When they are finished cooking, remove from the pan and place on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. Garnish with coarse seat salt and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately alongside the Chipotle Dipping Sauce. Recipe makes about 10 to 12 fritters.

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

Pinch of salt and pepper

In a small bowl combine the Greek yogurt and mayonnaise, whisking together. Mince the chipotle pepper, removing the seeds to prevent the sauce from being too spicy. Use a spoon to reserve some of the adobo sauce from the can. Add the chopped pepper and sauce to the bowl, whisking to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, tasting to adjust flavors to preference.

• Andrea McCoy’s Salt and Stone column and recipes appear twice a month in Explore.

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