Week 25: Zucchini Pancakes

Having just returned from vacation, I thought I would make the recipe this week an easy one. This is really just a side dish, but I think if you ate a large number of them, the pancakes could be considered a main course. Anyway, these are very easy to assemble, and a full batch takes about one hour to make (mostly because it's just very hands-on with the chopping and grating). Cooking them was really a great way to unwind after a busy day of packing up, traveling, and unpacking at home, and I really felt myself getting back into the swing of things as I was making them.

I have eaten these a few times before, and they were first featured in an issue of Better Homes and Gardens and subsequently cooked by my mother. Itching to cook again after more than a week off, I offered to make them for myself to see if I could match her [I almost did]. In addition, this week is going to be pretty hectic, so I wanted something quick and easy early on before our various family activities overwhelm us. Not to worry, though. I'll be back at it for a last couple of weeks after that before school starts, and then I might have to draw this blog to a close. After all, I won't have much time once I get into my veterinary education. I may post occasionally when I have breaks from school (I'm thinking at Christmas and in March for Spring Break), but other than that, I'll have to turn my attention quite fully to my studies.

But enough prelude. I know by now that you all just want me to get to the good stuff, already.

The link to the original recipe is http://www.bhg.com/recipe/breads/bumper-crop-zucchini-pancakes/. All credits go to Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Ingredients:
"4 - 5 medium zucchini (about 1-1/2 pounds)
 3/4 teaspoon salt 
4 [large] eggs 
1 [large] clove garlic, minced 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion [I doubled this amount with no adverse effects on taste; you can use whatever onion you like best; I used white onion.]
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
Dairy sour cream (optional) [I skipped this because I find that some extra Parmesan, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of extra-virgin olive oil is accompaniment enough.]

Directions:

 1. Trim and coarsely shred zucchini (you should have about 5 cups). In a large bowl toss zucchini with salt [I left this part out].

2. In [a] large mixing bowl, beat eggs and garlic. Stir in flour, Parmesan cheese, onion, and pepper until just moistened (batter should be lumpy) [I added the salt at this time]. Stir in shredded zucchini until just combined (mixture will be thick) [I worked the zucchini  in with my hands because I wanted to ensure better incorporation, but if you don't like getting your hands dirty, you can probably just use a spoon or spatula].

3. For each zucchini pancake, spoon a rounded tablespoon of batter onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle or heavy skillet, spreading to form a 3-inch circle. [I used an old-time-y ice cream scoop for the batter and patted the pancakes down with the round end once the batter had been deposited into the pan.] Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until the pancake is golden brown. (Reduce heat to medium-low if pancakes brown too quickly.) Keep pancakes warm in a 300 degree F oven while cooking remaining pancakes [I just put the pancakes between two sheets of parchment paper on a cookie sheet to keep them warm, so this last sentence is sort of just a suggestion]."

Notes: The amounts listed for salt and pepper are guidelines only, and how much you actually use is completely up to your own taste. I found that a nice pool of oil in the pan works best for browning the pancakes (I'd say a couple of millimeters' worth of oil should do). The thinner you can spread the pancakes out, the more quickly and evenly they will cook. Another good tip is to try to have two frying pans going at the same time (so you can cook four to six at a time with two or three pancakes going in each pan). Otherwise, the pancakes will take forever. In addition, the original recipe supposedly yields 30 pancakes, but I only got about 15, so the calorie amount per cake doubles. Finally, you can use any oil you desire to cook the pancakes (well, maybe not EVOO, but everything is pretty much fair game). However, I find that grapeseed oil is a nice choice because it can be heated to a high temperature without burning.

The best part about this recipe is that the pancakes are really mostly zucchini, so each unadorned pancake is just under 50 calories (assuming you get a yield of 30 pancakes versus 15, as I noted above). I used freshly-picked zucchini from our garden for these pancakes, which makes them even better. I suppose you could even use other summer squash in place of the zucchini, such as patty pans, yellow summer squash, etc.

I was fortunate enough to have six people besides myself to feed with these pancakes, so I got six opinions instead of the usual four. Everyone said I did a very good job, so I feel that one day, I may even be able to make them as delicious as my mother does. They were really very tasty, with just enough of every seasoning to be balanced and full-flavored. I will be interested to try other combinations of squash and onions and perhaps even different kinds of cheese (perhaps Pecorino Romano or Asiago cheese instead of Parmesan). I think I would stick to a hard, aged, white cheese that doesn't really melt rather than something like cheddar, though.

As far as improvements go, I think my first couple of pancakes were not as fully cooked as they could have been. I think I was impatient with them (and I also probably crowded them a bit in the pan). The heat was probably turned a little bit too high, causing sufficient browning on the outside but insufficient cooking on the inside. However, my technique improved as I went along, so I think I should be set for next time.

Taking advantage of summer's bounty while I can.

 In other news, we got another farm share on the day we left for vacation, and this time, we received fresh tomatoes (heirloom and beefsteak as well as cherry tomatoes of different colors), rainbow Swiss chard, carrots, new potatoes, sweet onions, more summer squash, cucumber, green beans, fennel (not my favorite), and Japanese eggplant! As you can see, there was a wealth of color, which is both beautiful and healthful.

Almost better than the farm share was returning from vacation to find eight or so white cucumbers on the vine, a winter squash ready to pick, a red tomato ripe for the plucking, and two or three yellow pear tomatoes. Those little pears didn't last long, but we are saving the red tomato for salads tonight. It should be divine with the white cucumbers. Interestingly enough, when the white cucumbers are allowed to mature a bit past peak, they turn a golden yellow. That was just something I thought strange and note-worthy.

Well, I guess that's all for now, folks! Until next time, happy eating!