Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Zucchini Time

In the next few weeks, zucchini will become abundant in this part of the world. For anyone who has ever grown this and any other kind of summer squash, you will know that its abundance can be a bit daunting. In the fabulous book I just finished, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle, she says that the only time folks lock their doors in her rural area of Kentucky is during zucchini season. If you don't, neighbors will drop by and leave zucchini in your house, your car - anywhere they can find a spot. They have so many of these guys they can't give them away!

So in preparation for this wonderful time of year, when our CSA offers us as many zucchini as we can fit in our Envirosax, I decided to make a recipe that showcases this little (or big) green show stopper.


Zucchini Pancakes with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce
serves 2
2 medium zucchini, grated over largest holes of box grater
1/2 small white onion, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
8 - 10 large, wild American shrimp
2 Tbs yogurt
1 Tbs sour cream
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp assorted chopped fresh herbs (I used chives and mint)
Salt & Pepper
  • Put grated zucchini in a colander and toss with 1 Tbs salt.  Let drain for 20 - 30 minutes
  • In batches, wrap zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out excess moisture
  • Transfer zucchini to large bowl.  Toss with onions, beaten egg, and salt and pepper.  Stir in flour and baking powder until fully combined in a sticky batter
  • Heat griddle over medium heat, then brush with EVOO
  • Pour batter on hot griddle in half cup measures, and press each pancake down with a spatula.  You should have 4 medium sized pancakes
  • Cook pancakes until golden and browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes.  Flip with spatula and cook an additional 4 minutes, until browned on both sides and just cooked through
  • Transfer to plate and keep warm in oven
  • Heat 1 Tbs EVOO in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add shrimp and saute about 2 - 3 minutes until just cooked.  Transfer to cutting board and chop into bite sized pieces
  • Whisk together yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, and herbs in a small bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper
  • Plate 2 pancakes per person, top with cream sauce, then top with sauteed shrimp
I served these babies with some beautiful CSA rainbow chard sauteed with golden raisins and toasted almonds. The raisins added a nice sweet contrast to the earthy, bitter chard.

3 comments:

  1. I don't think I've ever had zucchini - unless it was one of those times when it tricked me into thinking it was a cucumber. A very nasty thing for the zucchini to do. It's almost as bad as an ex-gf saying I'm an inch shorter than I already am - and a jerk to boot.
    My neighbor has had an abundance of lettuce. I was crouched down in my front yard trying to rid my big mailbox of a beehive and when I turned my head upwards, he was standing there with two fistfuls of lettuce saying "Here." (He said "here," the lettuce didn't. The lettuce said "how are ya?") If what you say about a plague of zucchini coming our way, I should keep my eyes open in case my neighbor launches a bushel from across the street. I'm sure they have a catapult over there behind the grape vines.
    When I was a little kid, I used to get up from the supper table to get something that was forgotten in the refrigerator (milk, condiments, etc.). With the door open, I was hidden from my parents eyes and I would snatch a strawberry or two and shove them in my mouth to eat on my way back to my seat. Apparently, one day, I was dim-witted enough to fall for the ol' "swap the bowl of strawberries with a bowl of radishes." That's a very nasty thing to do too, I'll have you know. I cried.

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  2. A radish would definitely be a surprise when you were expecting a strawberry. But as a child, I loved radishes because fraggles ate them and I wanted to be a fraggle. I still do, actually.

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  3. There were no Fraggles when I was that young so radishes are no more than a cruel joke to me. I wanted to be a a triceratops.

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