Squash Pancakes

August 23, 2010 by Nadia

Now when vegetables are growing in excess in nearby farms, I cannot help but create various dishes (and their variations) with them. Squash pancakes being one of our favourites evokes the time when Alex and I were dating. I cooked squash pancakes at our friend's dacha (a small country hut) where we had a very romantic weekend. Since then Alex ate squash only in this form (now I can proudly add my recent Zucchini with Wasabi Cream recipe to the list).
The best squash for this recipe is less watery type, like Russian white squash that has light green peel and rather dense pulp. Zucchini will do, too, but the juices should be thoroughly squeezed out.. I couldn't find the Russian variety here, so ended up with white patissons, a round and flat kind of squash with scalloped edges, that has qualities I needed.

What you need:

Four small (3-4" in diameter) patissons

or 2 medium zucchinis, grated

1/4 small yellow onion, grated

2 large eggs

2-3 heaped tbsp flour

Salt

White pepper

Dill (parsley or other greens), finely chopped

Olive oil for frying

Method:

Peel and grate patissons (zucchinis can be just grated), squeeze juice out with your hands (do not discard the juice - drink it!). Put skillet on medium heat, add oil (about 5 tbsp).

Mix all ingredients. Add more flour if needed: the mixture shouldn't be runny, as it is shown on the picture.

Scoop out about 2 tbsp per pancake and put on heated skillet. You should see the oil bubble - that means it is heated enough. If the heat is too high, pancakes will brown too quickly, and the squash will be still raw inside. So it should fry steadily, without hissing and drizzling around. When nicely browned on one side, turn pancakes over and continue on the other side. Arrange paper towels right on your serving dish (it better be heat proof, to be able to put it in the oven to warm your pancakes), and place ready pancakes in overlapping manner.

Serve warm with sour cream or just as it is, sprinkle with greens to add a touch of freshness.

Notes:
To make your pancakes more colorful, you can use a combination of squashes - zucchini and yellow squash, for example. You can also add some grated carrots - it will even look festive this way and could make a nice entree if you have guests.
The best way to turn pancakes over is with a fork: hook a pancake on the edge and quickly turn onto the other side (this way the oil will not splash around).

These pancakes are very tender inside with mouth watering crust outside. They contain very small amount of flour, so could be good for those of you who watch their waist lines.

Big luna, starred skies, open fireplace, and squash pancakes in the morning. This romance Russian style formed our lifelong memories. :)

Tags: appetizer • breakfast • main course • pancakes • vegetarian • zucchini

Summary: a vegetarian appetizer recipe