Zucchini Pancakes Times Two

Zucchini may just be the tofu of the veggie world.

And if you join a CSA your zucchini cup will surely runneth over. Put it on the grill, make some muffins and, in this case, make some tender little pancakes. Try something new, because you'll have a big batch every week with which to experiment. I ended up making zucchini pancakes...twice.

Since we've also been entertaining frequently to share the lovely cool nights on our terrace, it seemed like a zucchini-focused nibble was inevitable. I had been eyeing zucchini pancakes for a while: a finger food that is filling, mostly nutritious, and can be made slightly ahead of time and kept warm in the oven. And it turns out they were a hit.

Ina's Barefoot Contessa Zucchini Pancakes seemed to best match my goal to use as much zucchini and as little flour as possible. Plus I trust her recipes implicitly. Since these were for company, I wanted to dress them up a little, so the lemon zest and thyme are my own addition since both flavors go so well with zucchini. This dish is adapted from Ina Garten's recipe:

Zucchini Pancakes with Lemon and Thyme

2 medium zucchinis, grated

1/2 spring onion or 1 medium onion, grated

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

10 sprigs fresh thyme

Zest of one lemon

Vegetable oil

Grate the zucchini and the onion and squeeze out extra moisture in a towel (I used a paper towel and it worked just fine.) Place in a large bowl and mix in flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and fresh thyme leaves pulled from the stem. Lightly beat two eggs and mix into zucchini mixture.

Heat enough vegetable oil to cover a large saute pan over medium high heat. You'll know it is hot enough when a little batter drop sizzles. Drop in small spoonfuls (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons) of batter and cook on both side until golden brown and the pancakes hold together. Keep warm in an oven up to 30 minutes.

This makes a two-bite sized pancake that can be topped with sour cream or mascarpone, too.

And then...I thought maybe there was a way to make these even healthier...

A zucchini favorite is Couscous Royale. I make this Moroccan dish with zucchini, carrots and butternut squash, cooking it in chicken broth with a touch of spice and a lot of ground pepper.

I had carrots and, of course, zucchini, so that was the inspiration for these Zucchini Pancakes.

Moroccan Zucchini and Carrot Pancakes

1 medium zucchini, shredded

3 small carrots, shredded

1 spring onion, shredded

1 egg

4-5 Tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin

Salt and ground pepper

Olive oil

Shred vegetables and drain slightly on paper towel. Add in egg, flour, baking powder, cumin and salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat. Drop in 2 Tablespoons of batter for each pancake, about 4 will fit in the pan. Brown on both sides, about 3 minutes each side and make sure the oil doesn't get too hot (just turn it back if it starts to smoke.)

These were moist, a little sweet and with a nice subtle spiciness. A great accompaniment for:

Moroccan Chicken Rub: Rub chicken paillard (thin cut) with 1 t. cumin + 1 t. cinnamon + 1/4 t. ground coriander + 1/4 t. ground cloves + salt/pepper. Grill.

Tally:

Zucchini introduces veggie goodness to the cocktail hour

Inexpensive ingredients become something a little fancier

Using up the CSA supply makes us healthier and ready for more

Cheaty Cheaty Bang Bang

Oh dear, I need to confess. If this blog is truly about accountability, I'm putting it all out there, including the many non-healthy, non-thrifty moments from this holiday weekend. One word: ribs.

Overall, the meal was thrifty: pork ribs for two (and really enough for three or four!) were just $5, doctored up baked beans $.50, homemade cornbread approx $1. But that's no excuse.

And then I broke the bank with a 16 lb. watermelon to make Watermelon Mojitos. $7 dollars later, we had some lovely pink cocktails to welcome summer.

I'm making up for it. I promise.

Since the only thing remotely health-esque are the Watermelon Mojitos, here's how to make them:

Cut up 1/4 of a whole watermelon. Throw in the blender with 2 Tb. lime juice, a handful of fresh mint, a solid pour of cachaca (regular rum works, too), a cup of ice and 1 Tb. sugar. Blend it. You'll have some frothy pink foam at top. I thought it looked pretty, but it may give you a pink mustache (kind of fun, no?) If you're not into looking silly, strain the foam. Serves 2 for a long cocktail hour, 4 for a short one.

Fish Tail(ends) at Twilight

I feel sorry for leftovers. They get such a bad name.

I prefer to view them as a reason to party. What better way to use smidgens of ingredients than to turn them into nibbles for cocktails? In fact, maybe they should be called invite-overs, because that's exactly what we did last night when a dear friend came over to celebrate the beginning of a new week and watch the sunset from our terrace.

We still had 3-4 small pieces of the poached salt cod from our Baked Cod Cakes. Just enough to turn out some Brandade, a French cod-potato spread:

No, these aren't blue--that's the lovely outdoor light at 7pm last night. I love that it is still light out so late in the evening! Summer is so close I can taste it.

Brandade Toasts

1 cup poached salt cod

1 medium potato

4-5 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

Ground black pepper

1 baguette

Shred salt cod into small pieces and set aside.

Meanwhile, boil potato until very well done. While the potato is cooking, place 4 cloves of the garlic and olive oil in a heavy saucepan and over low heat cook until the garlic cloves soften (but are not brown.)

Peel the potato and while still warm mash it together with the garlic. Add 2 1/2 Tablespoons warm olive oil a tablespoon at a time.

Add the cod and combine well. If not garlicky enough, grate in half a clove of garlic raw. I did this because I love garlic. Keeps the vampires away. Refrigerate if using later (can be made ahead.)

Cut a baguette into thin slices. Spread brandade on each slice to cover fully. Sprinkle with remaining olive oil and broil on low for 3 -4 minutes. (These burn easily, so you'll want to watch them.) They will be golden on top. Serve warm.

We also enjoyed crudite with Herb Yogurt Cheese Dip (so easy!!) and some very fruitful Pear White Sangria. I'll put those recipes up soon.

Tally:

Not totally FRD-friendly nibbles (white bread, potato): Bad.

Omega-3 rich fish and olive oil provide healthy fats: Good!

Leftovers find their purpose and only one $2 purchase

Great excuse to invite a friend over