Zucchini and corn, two of the staples of summer. If you’re inundated and tired of zucchini bread (which really, has nothing to do with zucchini and everything to do with the cinnamon and sugar inside and melted butter on top of a still-steaming slice) or corn-on-the-cob, here’s a good recipe to try. The original comes from Whole Foods, though I’ve modified it a bit. As per my norm, I don’t really measure stuff very closely, if at all, but I’ll include measurements for those that need ’em. I roughly doubled the original recipe, because I had a bigger zucchini that I wanted to use.
You can either fry them in a bit of oil, in which case they’re more of a fritter, or pop them on a griddle, which I suppose makes them a pancake. I started frying them, but didn’t add more oil, so the first bunch were fritters, while subsequent batches turned into pancakes. I can verify that they’re quite good either way.
Zucchini and Corn Cakes, or Fritters – makes about two dozen
3-4 large eggs, or about 5 medium, if your chickens aren’t laying large ones yet
2/3 cup buttermilk, or milk with 2 tsp vinegar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
A good shake of salt and pepper
Kernels from 2 ear sweet corn (1-2 cups)
1 zucchini, grated (about 2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped onion
Additional seasoning, to your taste – I added some red pepper, a bit of coriander, and some turmeric; your options are unlimited
The original recipe called for mixing ingredients separately. I said, the heck with that, and just dumped everything into one bowl. Turned out fine. So, stir it all up until it’s a nice thick-but-kinda-runny batter.
Now’s where you have to decide on the fritter or cake route. Toss a splash of oil into a frying pan or fire up the griddle. Using a ladle or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop the batter into the pan. It should be thin enough that it spreads out; you don’t want big clumps of dough, because it’ll never cook through.
Cook for 3 or 4 minutes per side, flipping once. They should be nicely browned on both sides.
Serve with meat. Unless you’re a vegetarian.
