Sunday, September 4, 2016

Deep Fried Therapy (Zucchini and Potato Pancakes)


             The past few days I've bounced back and forth from a state of Zen-like calm and contentment, to a deranged ranting shrew who forgets to brush her teeth or put on deodorant.  Now that I'm finally seeing a therapist to try and resolve some personal issues that manifest in weird physical compulsions, I've become much more mindful of my moods.

              It definitely goes beyond post-baby hormones when the bottoms of your feet look like raw meat all the time due to incessant skin picking.  I know, a lot of people do these nervous little habits, but not many of them make their feet bleed at least every other day.  So, therapy it is.  And while it does feel good to be actively working on said issues, with it comes the ever-annoying challenge of realizing that my life (and in particular the two small insane people running it), are almost completely out of my control.


             That having been established, we move onto the things I can control, one of them being
dinner.  I try to cook often enough so that we're not subsisting on PBJs and Cheerios all the time, yet not so much that the resulting kitchen mess gets overwhelming.  I also like to save money, so in comes two of my favorite filler veggies- potatoes and zucchini.

             We had a ginormous zucchini given to us by my mother, who'd gotten it from a friend at church.  And I had a hankering for something savory and fried, so....Latkes!  And in my cherished cast-iron skillet, because it had been awhile and I didn't want to neglect the poor dear too long.

The most time-consuming part of this was shredding the zucchini and spuds on a mandoline, but putting on Zootopia for the girls helped keep them happy in the meantime.  Some minced fresh onion and garlic, eggs, flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, and that was that.

By now I was half expecting the girls to take turns doing their usual clingy/whiny routine and drive me up the wall, but they were actually...good!  Angels, even! So, feeling like a happy little Southern mama, I fried up batches of the latkes until they were nice and golden brown, and made enough to eat and save for later.

Comfort food can do wonders, and this borrowed Jewish classic is no exception.  A little sour cream and sprinkled paprika, and I was in Heaven.  Even the three-year-old gobbled hers up with ketchup while the baby careened around in her walker and terrorized our bare feet.

For this exact time, on this exact day, I'm doing alright.  Some days will be better, some worse, but there will always be good food and good company to see me through.  I hope these little golden-fried darlings will make you smile the way they did for me!

Zucchini and Potato Pancakes (Original recipe by Joy Wilson)

Ingredients:

4 TB olive oil (I use vegetable because it has a higher smoking point)
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups peeled and grated potato
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
sour cream or creme fraiche for serving
paprika and ground cumin for dusting

1)  Place a medium-sized skillet over medium heat.  Heat 2 TB of oil and add onions.  Cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Set onions and garlic aside in a small bowl.

2)  Place zucchini and potato with 1/2 tsp of salt in a colander over a medium bowl.  Let it sit for 10 minutes, then press down with a clean towel, squeezing out excess water.

3)  In a medium bowl, whisk eggs.  Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and the rest of the salt.  Add the cooked onion, garlic, potato, and zucchini, and stir together until well combined.

4) Place a rack in the upper third of the oven  and preheat to 200 degrees.  The oven will keep the pancakes warm as they're being cooked in batches.

5) In the medium saute pan you used to cook the onions, heat 2 TB oil over medium heat.  When the oil is heated, drop in the batter by rounded tablespoonfulls.  Flatten gently with a fork.  Cook about 2 minutes or until golden brown around the edges, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes until golden brown.  Place on a plate and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

6)  Serve with sour cream or creme fraiche and a dusting of paprika and ground cumin.  These are best served immediately, but can be cooked and kept in an airtight container in the fridge.  Reheat in a lightly greased saute pan the following day.

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