Zucchini and Corn Pancakes

You know how when the sun shines fiercely down and you feel a mild burning sensation from its rays – I love it. I revel in it, I embrace it, and let’s be honest it is the only reason that I am not deathly pale for a few months of the year. And those days are here – woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!! I am a warm weather baby, born in the desert, raised in a hot city by the sea. I was not designed for winters. And rain? Rain in my mind was a stupendous deluge that is heavy and oddly warm and lasts for a few days, just enough to flood the streets, knock out the power, and inspire my mother to go on a ‘pakora’ frying frenzy.

Point is welcome back Mr. Sun, you have been sorely missed! Warm days are here again and for Zara and I that means playing outside every day and after hours of being outside a curry does not always cut it. These Zucchini and Corn Pancakes – they really do. The original recipe is from King Arthur Flour, but I came across it on the lovely Girl Versus Dough blog here. Check out her amazing collection of recipes and drool worthy photos!

I have been making Zucchini Latkes for a long time, but the secret to a good latke is draining the moisture out of the zucchini which means it does take some time. These zucchini pancakes were a breeze though, took me 15 minutes to throw together, and made for a lovely dinner with some salsa and sour cream. They are also part of my continued efforts to get Zara to try something new – I wish I could say she wolfed a stack down, but she ate one without complaining and for my tot that is practically a miracle.

When I made some for myself I snipped very small pieces of green chillies on top and loved that touch of spice. If I was not making them for Zara as well I may have felt the urge to add a liberal dose of hot sauce. Feel free to add those in or omit, whatever floats your boat.

Zucchini Corn Pancakes
10 pancakes

4 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3 cups grated zucchini (about one large zucchini)
1 cup fresh sweet corn off the cob or frozen corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese – I used a Tex Mex mix)
1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Grate your Zucchini and set aside. Sometimes just looking at grated Zucchini makes me happy.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs. Whisk to combine. Add the zucchini, corn and cheddar cheese and stir thoroughly with a spatula.

Add the flour and stir until thoroughly combined and there are no pockets of dry flour hiding in the batter. That flour can be a little sneaky so pay close attention.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet or griddle to medium-high heat, adding a very small amount of oil to the skillet/griddle. I found that I really needed only drops of oil to make this work. Scoop about ¼-cupfuls of batter onto the skillet and flatten, if necessary, into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Cook on each side about 3-4 minutes, or until a deep golden brown.

Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve warm with your favorite toppings.