Thursday, July 9, 2009

Zucchini Blini



I was the fortunate recipient of approximately 40 to 50 yellow and green tender young zucchini, which were considered 'seconds' by the grower, but perfect for me! I am embarking on canning zucchini relish and therefore, don't really mind that there are slight blemishes on the skins. After chopping for almost an hour, I have minute and uniform finely diced zucchini which I have added to onions, orange and green bell peppers. Before cooking the vegetables for relish, you have to cover with pickling salt and let them sit overnight to leech out most of the water...so more on my relish later!!!

After all this chopping, I really didn't seem to make much of a dent in the huge pile of zucchini in my sink?! So I decided to get out my trusty box grater and my bulging recipe book for this delicious dish that I haven't created since I grew zucchini in my own garden in Toronto, about 8 or 9 years ago! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!!

ZUCCHINI BLINI

Ingredients:

2lbs trimmed and grated zucchini
1 tsp kosher salt
1 large red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp white all-purpose flour
3 large free-range eggs
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
pinch of nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper, to taste



  • Place grated zucchini in a medium-sized bowl, and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Set aside for approximately 10 minutes to leech out the liquid. Drain by pressing zucchini against the sides of the bowl, and pouring off the liquid that pools.

  • Using a fork, stir in remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

  • Drop heaping tbsps of the zucchini mixture onto a hot skillet lightly oiled. Flatten each spoonful into a small pancake shape.

  • Fry until golden and crispy.

  • Serve with sour cream mixed with finely chopped chives, or tzatziki!!

3 comments:

  1. Is there no milk in the zucchini blini recipe?

    ReplyDelete
  2. No the liquid solely comes from the zucchini and the eggs. If you want to make more of a pancake consistency, here's another recipe:
    4 cups coarsely grated zucchini
    1 tsp salt
    2 minced green onions
    2 eggs, beaten
    1 cup buttermilk
    2 tbsp vegetable oil
    2/3 cup cornmeal
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    1 tsp granulated sugar
    1/4 tsp each baking soda and pepper
    2 tbsp butter

    In a sieve toss the zucchini with salt and let stand for 20 mins. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible and place inot a bowl. Stir in the green onions, eggs, buttermilk and oil. Set aside.
    In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda and pepper. Pour zucchini mixture over top and stir until just blended.
    In a large nonstick skillet, heat half of the butter over medium heat. Drop 2 tbsp of batter in and fry gently, flattening with the back of a spoon, until bottoms are golden (about 2 mins). Turn and fry until edges are golden (another 2 mins) and place on kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. Add remaining butter as necessary.
    This dish can be served with a salsa on top or sour cream! You can also layer the pancakes between waxed paper and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days and just reheat on a baking sheet in a 325F oven for approx. 8 minutes!!!

    ENJOY!!

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete