Veggie Resolution #14: Zucchini Pancakes

A while back, I was looking through my go-to reference book, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything  – I’ve been consulting this book a LOT lately, as I’ve received veggie after unfamiliar veggie from the CSA.  A recipe for zucchini pancakes caught me eye for several reasons:

1. I like pancakes (though not as much as waffles. Alas, there was no recipe for zucchini waffles)
2. I’ve been getting a ton of zucchini and squash lately (though that’s waning now and being replaced by bell peppers, booo!)
3. The recipe reminded me of pajun from Korean restaurants or Chinese scallion pancakes, both of which I LOVE!

So of course I had to try this out.

PS – if you read my photos tips and tricks post and guessed that I was either a. lazy or b. tired when writing this post, you are absolutely correct!  I prepared these pancakes a few weeks ago after a late night at the office.  So blah backdrop it is!

Since I was tired, I also forgot to include one key ingredient in the photo below:

Zucchini Pancakes from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything

You will need:

• About 2 pounds zucchini or yellow squash
• 1/2 onion, grated
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Approx. 1/4 cup bread crumbs, plus more for dredging. I used tempura crumbs and they were soooo good!  And yes, keen-eyed readers; I forgot to include this in the photo.
  
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp butter or EVOO

1. Grate the squash by hand or with the grating disk of a food processor.

Ok, so the book doesn’t tell you this, but trust me – blot the grated squash with paper towels!  I didn’t know to do this and the uncooked pancakes were all wet and tough to maneuver. They still tasted great after frying ’em up, but blotting the grated squash would have helped SO much.

2. Mix together all the ingredients but the butter or oil

3. Shape into burger-shaped patties (Add more bread crumbs if necessary to hold the shape).  If time allows, refrigerate for 1 hour to firm them up.

I ended up making about 12 patties.

4. When you’re ready to cook, put the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the butter is melted or the oil hot, dredge the cakes in bread crumbs and put in the skillet.

You may have to do multiple batches.

5. Cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness.

I really liked these!  I added a little hot sauce to them and they were fantastic.  They tasted a lot unhealthier than they actually were (a plus in my book, ha!), and as long as you don’t go crazy on the bread crumbs or oil, they’re not so bad for you.  I’ll definitely be making these again. 🙂

What’s your favorite way to eat zucchini?