Is it just me, or are there butterflies everywhere?
Maybe it’s butterfly hatching season…. that’s a technical term: butterfly hatching. Obviously.
Exhibit A: On a particularly rough day at work, a butterfly just about the size of my hand fluttered around me showing off its black, yellow and red wings. Absolutely gorgeous.
Exhibit B: Just this morning a butterfly whizzed past my nose as I rode a bike through the Oakland hills. High speed butterflying.
I don’t even need an Exhibit C, I’m tellin’ you… there’s something in the air: butterflies.
So, all of this beautiful fluttering action has lead me to, well… look for a little meaning in all of it.
I know… totally cheese ball, right? It’s just that I feel something in the air. Maybe it’s the change of season, or maybe it’s my sun sign doing God knows what to my moon sign. Who knows? I just feel a flood of change coming my way. I think that’s what all these butterflies are trying to tell me. Change is a’comin’, in more ways than I might already think. That… or it’s just butterfly hatching season. I don’t know.
In other news: I have a fridge full of zucchini and I made zucchini pancakes.
You probably know me well enough by now to understand my lengthy and well documented affection for pancakes.
That being said… these pancakes aren’t the sweet breakfast treat that you might expect from me. Think of them more like a potato pancake… the kind you might top with sour cream or apple sauce. These are the zucchini version of potato pancakes. They’re super easy to throw together and all sorts of fun to eat. I topped mine with a bit of sour cream and sweet paprika. Dinner, made so easy.
Zucchini Pancakes
makes about 18- 20 2-inch pancakes
adapted from Stephanie Gallagher
- 4 cups shredded zucchini (or a combination of shredded zucchini and shredded yellow squash)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
- a few dashes of Tabasco
- 1/4 cup onions, finely diced and grilled
- 2 Tbsp. plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Grill diced onions in 2 teaspoons of olive oil until they are slightly browned and set aside.
Place zucchini and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt in a colander. Drain for ten minutes, pressing down with paper towels to push out all the excess water. You can also place shredded zucchini in a very clean dish towel to squeeze out excess water after it has sit with the salt for 10 minutes.
Whisk the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, Tabasco, and eggs together in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, garlic, grilled onions and zucchini. Mix until all the ingredients are well-combined.
Place the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, drop the zucchini mixture by rounded tablespoons. Flatten gently with a fork. Cook 2 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Flip and cook another two minutes. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Serve immediately.
Emily
Man, I wish my husband would eat squash. He says it makes him gag (real mature, I know)! I’ll have to make these sometime when he’s not around to complain. They sound delicious!
Carrie
Oh, Joy! Only you could make me want to eat vegetables in my pancakes!
Singapore Short Stories
Wow so nice!
Emily (Lauren's friend in SF)
My mom used to make a version of these all the time growing up, from the Moosewood cookbook. They were my fave!! The recipe she uses has feta and a touch of mint in them, and egg whites folded in. I’ll have to send Lauren the recipe. She served them with sour cream or plain yogurt and turkey kielbasa. So good!!
B
oooh
i actually make these al the time with goat cheese in them
deliciousss
Patty
Oh, Joy! My recently departed, Italian mother would have absolutely loved these pancakes. She had an affinity for all things zucchini, including stuffed zucchini flowers. She made a mean potato pancake as well. Sadly, I never mastered her recipe. I shall make this as a loving tribute to her…thank you.
Lori
They sound delicious!
Jean Bean
just out of curiousity…what is your sun and moon sign? and ascendent (if you know) Im such an astrology geek :)
I’m a cancer with a taurus moon and vergo ascendent (pisces descendent)
The Duo Dishes
Oh but of course. Zuke cakes are the best way to use them up. Other than pairing them with chocolate. Also good. :)
Kate @ Savour Fare
Great minds think alike, or maybe we just shop at the same farmer’s markets. I use feta in mine and they are divine.
Elizabeth
MMmm, I love zucchini pancakes. Maybe it’s the fact that I get to dip them in sour cream. And my kid will eat them too, so I don’t have to make two dinners. Yup, I love em.
Alison
‘…through the Oakland hills…’ Seriously? Joy the freaking Baker is in my neighborhood? Oh this is too good. Too bad we couldn’t organize a picnic for these Bay Area lovers of Joy. Hope you’re enjoying all the east bay has to offer.
Noreen
Joy, I want to say I like the New new blog design (or it looks different to me now than before). I had a little trouble in the beginning with the front page setup and now I am able to manuever much better =) Thanks as always for great recipes & content!
Sandy
Clever girl – eating your veggies in pancake form! I’ll be trying these out on my kids, as we are fans of all things pancake in this house. (Today we’re having whole wheat strawberry banana pancakes for lunch – yumm)
PS – how are those aprons coming? Can you make the neck straps adjustable, thanks!
stephchows
mmm paprika sounds like the perfect topper for these! And so exciting about the butterflies, I think it means lots of good luck coming your way :)