Turkish Zucchini Pancakes (Mucver)
Serves 4-6
Savory zucchini pancakes are a favorite summer entree of mine and a solution to the constant question “what to do with all this zucchini?”. Serve with cool Harissa Yogurt Dip and a green leafy salad. Young small zucchini are always preferable to huge overgrown squash; few seeds, less water and more flavor result in tastier pancakes.
1 ½ lbs young tender zucchini
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chopped fresh dill
4 scallions, ends trimmed and finely chopped
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 small carrot, finely grated
1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
¾ cup unsweetened plain soy milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
⅔ cup all purpose unbleached flour
¼ chickpea flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
A few twists of freshly ground pepper
Olive oil spray for frying
1. Wash and grate zucchini with the large holes of a box grater. Place zucchini in bowl, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 30 minutes; drain any excess liquid. Heap zucchini into the center of a clean dish towel or triple layer of large, strong paper towels and gather into a bundle. Hold bundle over the sink, firmly squeeze the bundle to extract as much liquid as possible. Return zucchini to mixing bowl.
2. Stir into zucchini shreds chopped dill, scallions, carrot, onion, soy milk, olive oil and lemon juice. Form a well in the center and sift in the flour, chickpea flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and pepper and stir to combine ingredients. Heat a 12 inch cast iron skillet or griddle over medium heat; the skillet is ready when a few drops of water flicked onto the surface sizzle. Spray surface generously with olive oil cooking spray.
3. Drop 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle and use the back of a measuring cup or spoon to spread the batter about 1/4 inch thick; add one or two more pancakes, taking care not to crowd the skillet. Rotate the skillet a few times to evenly distribute the heat under the pan; cook the pancakes until the edges look dry and some bubbles try to push through the center of the pancake, about 3- 3 1/2 minutes. Use a wide spatula to carefully flip each pancake over and cook another 2 minutes on the other side until pancakes are golden brown. Slide onto serving dishes or onto a plate kept warm in the oven if serving all at once. Pancakes can be made a day ahead and reheated on a skillet.
