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Friday, June 26, 2015

Zucchini Pancakes for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

Zucchini Pancakes for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

Patties of shredded zucchini topped with buttery spread and cheese. Make these small for hors d'oeuvres or large for a side dish/vegetarian meal. A terrific way to eat an abundant vegetable.

I've been eating zucchini pancakes for over 30 years. Whoa. That's a long time for a staple dish like this. High time I put it on the blog.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/zucchini-pancakes-for-breakfast-lunch.html


Growing up, my folks gradually turned our backyard into an edible space. The old small in-ground pool was filled in and used for rhubarb and other perennials, and I distinctly recall having the responsibility of a hammer (!) to break up the concrete patio that became a strawberry patch. My dad grew up on a farm and with his skills we grew beans, corn, chard, squash and tomatoes. In addition to the strawberries we had cherry and apple trees. Urban homesteading before it was hip.


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/zucchini-pancakes-for-breakfast-lunch.html


Although we grew up with a glut of vegetables at different times of the growing season, I don't recall my mom stuffing zucchini into endless loaves of zucchini bread. Perhaps like me she hadn't wanted to turn on the oven. She made these savory pancakes instead. In Mom's curling cookbook, where I found this recipe by Lois Robertson of the City View Curling Club in Ottawa, ON, the title is Zucchini Crepes but we always call them zucchini pancakes. These are similar in preparation/use to my Turnip Fritters and to Meghan's Kohlrabi Fritters


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/zucchini-pancakes-for-breakfast-lunch.html


Use any summer squash you choose--just shred them as fine as your technology allows you and squeeze as much liquid out as you can. You can also freeze shredded squash for out-of-season pancakes. Freezing the squash breaks the cell walls so that when thawed the liquid seeps out and you get a nice dry squash. Since you lose more moisture after thawing, I generally freeze 1½ times the amount of zucchini that I'll want to use after thawing.


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/zucchini-pancakes-for-breakfast-lunch.html

For more recipes using zucchini all day long, please see my Zucchini Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. I've also got a Summer Squash Recipes Collection in case you've got a mixed bunch of summer squash and don't know what to do with it. I pin squash recipes of all seasons to my Squash Pinterest board, and share seasonal recipes and round ups from around the web on my FB page. For info on how to use this blog, click here.

Note: I prefer a fine shred for my zucchini pancakes and use my food processor to get it. I have this one (Amazon affiliate link) which has 2 sizes of shredding discs. Box graters work fine if you aren't processing a small dog's worth of zucchini to put up for winter.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/zucchini-pancakes-for-breakfast-lunch.html
I swear these things grow while my back is turned.

Zucchini Pancakes (makes 10-30 depending on the size)

3 cups shredded/grated zucchini, squeezed to remove as much moisture as possible
1 large egg
½ cup flour (unbleached all purpose for me)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (I use kosher)
¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, olive oil, or cooking fat of your choice
to serve, buttery spread and parmesan cheese

In a medium size bowl mix zucchini and egg with a fork until thoroughly combined. Shake flour over, add the baking powder and spices, and mix well. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil. Drop spoonfuls of zucchini into mixture (depending on the size you want, up to ⅓ cup for the largest pancakes). Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until the bottom is browned, then flip over and repeat for the other side. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate to hold until all pancakes are cooked. Spread with buttery spread and grate a bit of cheese over top. Serve warm or at room temperature. You can reheat these in the microwave or in a small skillet ( I prefer the small skillet for better texture).

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/zucchini-pancakes-for-breakfast-lunch.html
Behind the scenes with a reheated pancake for breakfast.

14 comments:

  1. Once upon a time, I dreaded zucchini until I learned how to freeze it, thanks to you. I'll be honest, I actually prefer working with once frozen zucchini now instead of fresh since all the draining work is done for me.

    These look great and I appreciate you sharing my kohlrabi fritters. I have a zucchini fritter as well where the zucchini is a bit player. Not these though, it's the star of the show, and I like it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      I was just talking about your kohlrabi fritters today!

      Delete
  2. Looks so healthy and delicious, I love to incorporate more veggies into our meals. Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sharon,
      I got the veggies. Got to do something with them, you know?
      Thanks!

      Delete
  3. I could definitely go for these zucchini pancakes all day long. They look wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kelly,
      These pancakes are something I crave every summer.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  4. Great new use for zucchini! I think I could eat these all day long....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Allie,
      It's the part of seasonal eating I like best--being able to gorge myself on the flavors while they are at their peak!
      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. I love how versatile zucchini is! I'll definitely have to give this a try!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz,
      Please do give it a try. Zucchini is such a useful veggie!
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  6. Add a grated potato and we'll call them latkes! Or don't and we can still call them delicious. I can't think of a better use for the many zucchini that you "green thumb" types will have - as for me, I can only hope you'll send a few my way so I can try this with homegrown zukes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura,
      I've wondered why latkes are called latkes. I mean, hummus means chick peas so that's kinda a requirement for a batch, but what about potato-less latkes? Can that be a Thing?
      Thanks!

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Karrie,
      Great question!
      I have never tried to freeze these, but I suspect it would be hard to reheat them and keep their texture. Instead, I'd recommend freezing the shredded zucchini and mixing up the pancakes fresh when you're ready. Freezing breaks down the cell walls so it's very easy to really squeeze out all of the excess moisture for a great pancake.
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete