Zucchini Hotcakes

When shopping for a well-rounded dinner for your family, a lot of frustration can build in the frozen or canned vegetable section.  On average, we can probably list 10 vegetables that are stocked in these sections.  Then there’s the fact that we probably only enjoy eating 5 of those 10 vegetables.  We deal with boredom and dissatisfaction with the typical choices of peas, corn, broccoli, green beans.

So this is for those of you interested in eating your vegetables, but sick of buying canned green beans and frozen broccoli.  The attached link is a list of vegetables from A-Z.

http://www.gardeningchannel.com/list-of-vegetables-from-a-to-z/

Surely an unfamiliar vegetable is on the list.  Whenever boredom sets in, search the recipes on the Food Network link below for a vegetable that has sparked your interest.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/ 

In the spirit of making veggies interesting, a zucchini hotcake recipe is below.

Zucchini Hotcakes

4 medium zucchini

1 ½ tablespoons coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced and crushed to a paste

9 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped [May substitute other herbs (such as oregano or thyme) for sage]

¾ cup all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Cut off the ends of the zucchini and cut the zucchini crosswise in half so you end up with 2 pieces about 4 inches long.  Slice each of the zucchini pieces lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices.  Then slice each of these into 1/8-inch-wide julienne strips.  Rub the salt into the zucchini stripers until the salt dissolves and you can’t feel the grains.  Drain the zucchini in a colander for 30 minutes.

Combine the garlic, sage, and flour in a small mixing bowl.  Stir the water into the flour mixture and work a smooth paste with a small whisk.  Spread the remaining 6 table spoons of flour on a work surface.  Squeeze the zucchini in small batches in a tight fist to extract as much water as possible.  Gently stir the zucchini into the flour-water mixtures and season with pepper.  Form the mixture into hamburger-shaped pancakes about ½ inch thick and about 4 inches across and gently flour them on both sides.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large non-stick frying pan or cast-iron skillet.  Gently slide the pancakes into the hot oil.  Cook for about 7 minutes on the first side until golden brown.  Gently turn the patties over and cook for 5 minutes on the other side.  Flatten them from time to time to compress them and make them thinner.

Variation: Replace the flour in the sage and garlic mixture (and the flour for coating the patties) with finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  If you do this, do NOT add any water to the sage-garlic-cheese mixture.

Enjoy! - Lauren