2.04.2009

Project Weeknight: Veggiecakes

I did this one over a week ago, and darnit if I can't remember now how the final recipe evolved. The original inspiration came from Karina's Kitchen, (don't they look fabulous?) but I ended up using techniques and proportions I gathered from other sources, most likely one of Mark Bittman's books.

I *love* potato pancakes, hash browns, and all sorts of those fried-potato-y kinds of things. When I saw Karina's recipe, I knew it would be a great excuse to make potato pancakes and serve them as the main dish. Score!

Here's what I ended up doing:
Veggiecakes
Inspired by Karina's Savory Vegetable Pancakes and probably a Mark Bittman recipe

2 med. potatoes, grated (I used yukon gold, scrubbed, unpeeled)
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 med. zucchini, grated
1/2 onion, grated
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs,lightly beaten
1/3 cup AP flour
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

Combine grated veggies in a colander and let drain, squeezing out as much liquid as you can. In a mixing bowl, combine veggies with remaining ingredients. Mix well, adding salt & pepper to taste.

In a heavy frying pan (cast iron works well), heat about 1/4" of oil until a small bit of batter dropped in immediately starts to fry. Scoop batter into pan in golfball-sized scoops, just a few at a time. Leave lots of room between them. Flatten them to about 1/2" thick.

Cook several minutes. Don't turn them until they are very nicely browned, like in Karina's picture. Peek if you have to. Flip, then cook on the other side for a comparable amount of time.

Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with eggs, or with a little sour cream, or some drained yogurt or other soft cheese.

Next time I might try the sweet potato and maybe the cabbage as Karina mentioned.

The verdict? It got a huge thumbs up all the way around the table. This definitely is on the repeat list!

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