With only 59 frost-free growing days, gardening in Steamboat is a challenge. Thank goodness for zucchini! It's the one consistently generous plant in my raised-bed garden. One hill of three plants will usually provide us with a couple dozen zucchinis to eat and share in the late summer.
The ease and versatility of cooking with zucchini is why I enjoy having it my garden. The small zucs can be picked, rinsed off, sliced and served fresh with dip or put on a salad. The medium-sized, 14-inch zucchinis are delicious grilled. Just slice them lengthwise in ¼-wide ribbons, brush lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning and grill.
Each season there is usually one or two zucchinis that get away from me. They emerge from under the foliage the size of a small puppy ---10 pounds of zucchini goodness. These oversized squashes can be sliced into rounds and used as a crust for pizza toppings. I like to shred these big guys then squeeze the moisture out of them and use the shreds in meat balls, zucchini bread or my favorite...zucchini pancakes.
Zucchini Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini
- 1 medium red potato
- 2 large eggs
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini and potato using the largest hole on your box grater. Take handfuls of the grated zucchini and potato mixture and squeeze out the excess moisture, then place in a large bowl.
- Stir in remaining ingredients until combined. (I recommend pulling up your sleeves and mixing everything with clean hands.)
- Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium-high temperature and coat lightly with oil. Place a large spoonfuls of zucchini/potato pancake mix on the hot surface and flatten with a spatula.
- Cook until brown on both sides. Serve with a sour cream or butter.
Barb
Yum!