Veggie Variety: Zucchini Pancakes

Well, its getting to be that time of year--- zucchini season!  It's on sale in the grocery store, turning up regularly in my farm basket and people at work and school are starting to bring in bag loads to get rid of. Now, I'm a fan of most squash varieties but I have to admit, I do get a little bit tired of eating it when I have to do it all by myself. The Hubby-- who is known for eating just about anything-- scrunches up his nose at it (unless its breaded and deep fried).  And heaven forbid you should put something green --that isn't broccoli -- in front of the little dude!  So what's a girl to do?? I had to try to find some way that I can eat the squash I like without torturing the rest of the family or having to resort to deep frying. Enter..... zucchini pancakes!!  I've made these several times over the last year or so and managed to get two avowed squash haters to down their portion with little to no fuss!

I was intrigued by this recipe when I first saw it on an old episode of "Barefoot Contessa". Ina Garten was also trying to find something new to do with all the zucchini she had gotten out of her garden. I thought this idea was a great way of using the zucchini where it is certainly present but not in your face. It doesn't completely hide the zucchini (I'm not a fan of hiding veggies, in general) but the flavor is very mild, basically like a potato pancake but with zucchini instead.

I serve these with a side of dip-- usually homemade ranch but any creamy type of dressing will go well here.  Sometimes I just keep it simple with a blop of sour cream on top. If you like fancy, try a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of herbs. If you like applesauce on your latkes, you might like it here as well.

The only trick to this recipe is to keep an eye on the batter. Zucchini vary wildly in terms of water content and the longer your grated zucchini sits, the more water will separate out. This means that you may need to add flour if your batter sits for a while or its a particularly moist zuke.

Recipe: Zucchini Pancakes (adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Food Network)

1 large zucchini or 2 medium
1/4 - 1/2 yellow onion
2 large eggs
3-8 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
butter for cooking

1) Grate zucchini & onion (a little goes a long way, I like 1/4 but if you LOVE onion, try 1/2) into a medium sized mixing bowl.

2) Lightly beat eggs and add to mix.
3) Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour, baking powder, salt & pepper.
4) Check consistency of batter-- if its too watery, add more flour 1 Tbs at a time. Be sure to check batter over time as well & add flour as necessary to maintain correct consistency.

5) Preheat your usual pancake pan on a medium heat. Add small pat of butter to heated pan. When butter is melted, lower the heat slightly (not all the way to low).
6) Spoon mounded tablespoons of batter onto melted butter. Cook as you would a typical pancake, until both sides are browned and middle is set. Watch heat-- too high will result in browned but mushy pancakes, too low and you'll be there all night. You know you are doing it right when it really looks like a breakfast pancake (albeit slightly green). A couple of these in the pic below probably could have been left on the pan for another minute or two.

Did you give these a try? Comment below and let us know how they turned out!

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