Aytekin Yar's Zucchini Pancakes

I have always been a little ambivalent about meat. Oh, don't get me wrong: I like it well and good. Broiling a nice juicy steak until it spatters and hisses and crusts up in all the right places is wonderful. Roasting a chicken and seeing the skin crisp up in the oven while the meat goes tender beneath is lovely, too. And most of the ills in the world can be cured with a few savory pork-stuffed dumplings, dripping broth and juice. But I don't need meat every day, or even every other day. And since moving to Berlin, my goodness, it seems all I do is eat it.

At first I blamed the winter. All that relentless ice and snow required spitting hot sausages and bacon-studded fried potatoes. Didn't it? Then we went skiing in Austria and were served meat every single night for dinner. And sometimes lunch, too. Every single day! I felt like it was 1962 all over again. And since it's nice to be back in a country where eating liverwurst isn't considered suspect or only for the aged and infirm, I made it a regular part of dinner (and sometimes breakfast), too.

Sometime a few weeks ago I'd had enough. I'd eaten more meat in the last three months than I probably had combined in the entire past year. Enough! I missed my meatless dinners, my all-green meals, my refrigerator full of leaves.

Since then, I've made a lot of spicy cabbage, several tomato-cucumber salads (eaten on the balcony!), and had more than a few cheese toasts instead of liverwurst ones. (The Sainsbury's cheddar, tragically, is all gone now. Good thing I've just booked another flight to London. For the conference! Of course. Not for the cheese. No, not at all.)

And I've been saying a little prayer every night to the gods that be at the New York Times dining section that they make Elaine Louie's Temporary Vegetarian column a little less Temporary and a little more Permanent. Seriously, that column? Is a gem. Remember the Chana Punjabi? Her cabbage strudel haunts my dreams. And these Turkish zucchini pancakes, dolloped with garlicky yogurt, were nothing short of stellar. Right now, her column is the best part about that dining section for me and I hope it becomes a permanent part of the Wednesday lineup.

But back to those pancakes. Hoo boy.

I once had zucchini pancakes, 10 years ago at a friend's one-room apartment in Paris. She was, to be polite, not a gifted cook and all I could remember was the pile of slightly blackened vegetable shreds lying on my plate, glistening with still-raw egg and oil. Oooh, not pleasant in the very least. "A for effort", though, as the 7-foot tall Massachusetts State Trooper folded into the passenger seat of my dad's sedan told me when I passed my driving test at 19.

So I had this recipe bookmarked for a year before I got around to trying it. What I didn't want were oily pancakes, or heavy ones. I wanted something light and fluffy and delicious and green, and, oh, did I get what I wanted. Readers, don't wait this long before trying these things. They are too good to be ignored.

I made a few changes to the recipe: First of all, dill remains the final frontier in my food world. It is the one and only thing I really, really don't like. I got over cilantro, so maybe I will one day get over dill, but I'm not holding my breath. It tastes like dirty fridge to me and that's all I can say about that. But mint and zucchini are such a lovely pair, such a springy pair of lovebirds that I substituted the one for the other with spectacular results. Also, I totally forgot to add the baking powder. It just slipped my mind. And the pancakes were fine! So I guess it's not entirely essential?

Other than that, the recipe was a charm. You quickly shred three zucchini (I used those very pale green ones, which are called marrows in England, held firmly against a big cheese grater) and squeeze the ever-loving life out of them once the shreds have been salted for a bit. You mix this limp green mess with eggs and crumbled feta and sliced scallions and the mint. Then you fry good-sized (3-4 tablespoons worth) mounds of the batter in vegetable oil until browned and crisping.

Piping hot, they were savory and sweet, full of yielding pockets of salty-soft feta and bright with mint and scallions, while the cool yogurt sauce balanced each mouthful. Very, very good.

But. Eaten cold from the fridge the next day? They were even better, if that's possible. The flavors were richer yet lighter, too; the pancake firmer and easier to eat. Totally transcendent, really. I had only two pancakes leftover and I actually caught myself wishing we'd eaten less at dinner the night before. I love discovering things that taste even better the next day: It makes my inner Martha Stewart emerge and I find myself planning elaborate buffet luncheons featuring entire tables covered with food cooked the previous day.

These pancakes? They'd be front and center. And no one would miss the meat.

Zucchini Pancakes
Makes 12 pancakes

For the pancakes
3 medium zucchini, shredded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh mint
1 teaspoon baking powder (I forgot to add this! And they were fine)
4 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed

For the yogurt sauce
2/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place zucchini in a colander over a bowl, and mix with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Allow to drain for five minutes. Transfer to a cloth kitchen towel, and squeeze hard to extract as much moisture as possible. Squeeze a second time; volume will shrink to about half the original.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine zucchini and eggs. Using a fork, mix well. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, olive oil, feta, scallions, mint and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well, add baking powder, if using, and mix again.

3. Place a cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Place heaping tablespoons of zucchini batter in pan several inches apart, allowing room to spread. Flatten them with a spatula if necessary; pancakes should be about 3/8 inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. Fry until golden on one side, then turn and fry again until golden on other side. Repeat once or twice, frying about 5 to 6 minutes total, so pancakes get quite crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and keep warm in oven. Continue frying remaining batter, adding more oil to pan as needed. Serve hot.

4. For yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic and salt. Mix well, and serve on the side or on pancakes.

Comments

[Magda]

I tried something very similar once and I did not use baking powder either and they came out fine. i know this may sound stupid, but I never know how much baking powder to put in things and when exactly it is needed. When the recipe calls for some, I will add it, but when I am just making something up, I prefer to stay away...

[Samantha T]

These sound lovely and full of the new season! I can't wait to try them. Reminds me of a courgette soufflé recipe I love (and never disappoints).

As a British reader, I have to point you towards Marks & Spencer's Cheddar, in particular their Cornish Cruncher! It is totally delicious. Enjoy your trip over here!

[CJ]

Check out today's New York Times Food Section. There is an interesting slant on coriandre (or cilantro, as ye call it) and why so many people do not like it. It may also explain your dislike of dill. Those pancakes look brilliant, hot or cold.

[Jennifer Jo]

I make these (with dill!) every summer and we love them. I'd like to try the mint combo, though, too. We have mint coming out our ears all summer long, so I'm always looking for good recipes with mint.

[Victoria]

What a treat to find a post from you when I awoke this morning.

This dish does look fine, just fine. More than fine. It looks great.

I too find myself not eating meat on a daily basis - (not that I don't love liverwurst too). And last night I made my favorite "Luisa recipe" the pasta sauce with ricotta hidden in the recipe for Penne with Sheeps-Mik Ricotta and Mustard Greens. I have stopped asking you to post it because I think (I hope) it will be in your book, which I am anxiously awaiting.

How interesting about your not liking dill. I particularly like it snipped over my cucumber in sour cream salad. It's thyme I have a little trouble with. I like it most of the time (no pun intended), but sometimes - like in stock - I find it overwhelming.

[Sasa]

I feel exactly the same about meat - like it, but in Austria find myself dismayed at how often I eat it. Also the dill, gross, I mean really. But coriander/cilantro! I'm afraid I must politely agree to disagree...

[Jill Anderson]

Yummy. I can't wait to try these! And, I'm with you - no dill. Bring on the cilantro.

[Christine]

You know, I was anti-dill forever as it just made whatever was cooked with it taste like the standard cucumber pickle I grew up with. But, a deli near me makes an amazing shrimp salad (and I don't even really like shrimp all that much) that uses the teensiest amount of dill and tastes like heaven.

Now I'm itching to try to add (in small doses) dill to some of my meals. Maybe I'll start with these :)

[Tracy]

Eat now or save for later...The cruelty of moderation. It does pay off though. Hmm, I know it might be a tad crazed, but what about adding a bit of honey to the yogurt as well. Not too much, just a touch. The slightest sweet with the salt and garlic. Now severely curious. To do.

[Antonietta]

These look divine! I'm trying them tonight!!

[Maddie]

You've gone and made me nostalgic for the Greek zucchini fritters I made last month! I topped mine with tzatziki, and you're completely right that they're just as good (if not better) as leftovers.

Speaking of meatless meals, you just reminded me to thank you for your effusive post about chana punjabi. I make it constantly, so I'm seriously indebted to you for waxing poetic about its deliciousness!

[Adrienne]

Really, dill? I guess I sort of see what you mean, flavor-wise... but I am pretty fond of it. Hm. Regardless, mint and zucchini DO go swimmingly together. This looks wonderful, and better the next day foods are my favorite!

[Gemma]

I love courgette fritters. The only ones I've made are from Forever Summer and I am now craving them again... I've booked my ticket for FBC so looking forward to meeting you there!

[jenny]

claudia roden has a recipe for these pancakes where she sautes the zucchini with some finely chopped onion before combining them with the flour/egg/feta mixture. delicious. in addition to being almost better cold the next day, they freeze incredibly well, too. her recipe is in arabesque, but it's more or less the same as this one. my children adore them.

[Lissie]

Check out the NYTimes article on cilantro/coriander CJ suggested, it's not only relevant to your past aversion to cilantro, but interesting as to how our brain creates associations with flavors. It's here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html
Here's hoping you get over your dill aversion, now!

[Vanessa]

In my suitcase coming back from England last week were two huge packs of cheddar, plus Lindt chocolate bunnies, plus mini eggs. No, no I didn't just go back for the food ;-) I once made something similar to these pancakes but with potaotoes which makes them potato cakes, I know. But they were delicious and I can't wait to try these, maybe even on Friday after a long, hard day. Your photos are mouthwatering, especially the second one with a bite taken out.

[Hannah]

There's a practically-identical recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook that I've been loving for years--I had no idea this was Turkish in origin!

[Lindsay]

I too hope the Temporary Vegetarian becomes a permanent feature. I'm not a vegetarian, but my fiance is, and so I don't cook meat at home. Despite all the press about eating less meat, mainstream recipe sources still seem to focus on it. I'd like to see more veggie recipes everywhere, or at least recipes where the meat can easily be taken out.

[CrispyTarts]

I've tried making these many times and they never turned out right so I'm excited to try this recipe!!! THanks!

[Deanna]

I've been trying to sneak more meatless meals into my weekly rotation, but someone always complains once they notice at the end of dinner. I was going to make potato pancakes for Fathers Day but these are getting made instead

[TheKitchenWitch]

I'll be trying these! They sound amazing! I'm not a dill fan, either, so I'm glad that mint works well in the recipe. These sound like just the thing to celebrate Spring.

[Katie @ Cozydelicious]

Fluffy? Really? I have never had a zucchini pancake that was anything but dense and oily. I want to believe you... I really want to try them. And probably with dill. I actually really like dill. And the dill plant on my kitchen windowsill has gone crazy so I need to use it. I assume I can just sub in the dill for mint?

[Irina]

I am from Russia and zucchini pancakes are very popular there. The recipe is very similar to yours but does not contain feta, and they are usually topped with sour cream. We also make cabbage pancakes and carrot pancakes in a similar way.

[The French @ crispytarts]

Yum. I am dog earring this for summer when my CSA box is full of zucchini and I don't know what to do with all of it. Thanks! And I'm so glad to know you got over the cilantro thing. I love it so much my boyfriend swears I'm going to run off with it!

[Heather]

i have a friend who makes the best zucchini bread and it is oil-laden, so this pancake recipe is a nice non-oily substitute :)

[Rose-Anne]

Mint instead of dill! Yes! I did the same thing recently with a split pea soup recipe, and oh my, the mint was heavenly--a note of herbal delight amid the split peas and green peas.

Happy, happy spring, Luisa!

[Nuala]

These look amazing! I'm not terribly familiar with savory pancakes, though. Do you recommend these as a side dish? On their own?

[Lisa (dinner party)]

Want these. NOW.

[Aylin]

Yeay! I was hoping you would post some Turkish recipes since there are so many Turks in Berlin! More please!

[tobias cooks!]

I like the one with the bite :)

[Betul]

They look really authentique, well done.
I am Turkish in origin and in my blog I have different version of this "mucver" with fennel bulb.

Actually lots of green herb can be used in this recipe like tarragon, basil, greek basil, fennel, thyme..Or you can use parsley instead of (and with) dill as well, but dill, when it is cooked in this recipe becomes another creature, believe me I was dill-hater in my childhood too. Also courgette and dill are two unspearable things in classical turkish cuisine, I have to say :)

here is the link for fennel version if you want to try :)
http://rusticfood.blogspot.com/2006/11/fennel-fritters-mucver-with-twist.html

[Pam]

Thank you for another great post, always a highlight of my day! Is there a chance you could indulge us everyday until your book is released?

[gemma]

These sound yummy. i once made zucchini pancakes as an appetizer and they turned out just like the ones your friend made. oil and yuckiness. But these seem perfect.
In England we call zucchini "courgettes" - marrows are usually when they are full grown big ones. At least I think that is the difference.
Do these take a long time to make?

[Marcia]

Wonderful..These are similar to Nigella's zucchini fritters..she uses parsley, mint, and scallions..no nasty dill or cilantro..(oogh, me too.) My kids love them..beg for them..I double the recipe, and try to hide the leftovers for myself.

[Molly]

zucchini and feta and mint? oh my. (now if only i could get the last commenter's kids to teach mine a thing or two about marrow love...)

[notyet100]

this looks so delicious

[Luisa]

Samantha T - thank you for the cheese tip! Noted... :)

Gemma - exciting! Looking forward to meeting you, too.

Katie - actually, the original recipe has far more dill than the amount I put in of mint. Click over to the NYTimes.com following my link for the original.

Nuala - I actually served these as an appetizer (we had soup and bread to follow). You could serve them at a brunch spread, of course. Or you could make them a main course, with a side salad. Pretty flexible little things.

Aylin - I wish wish wish I could find more Turkish recipes here. I'm working on it!

Pam - you are a doll. If I could post every day, I totally would. At the moment posting even just once a week is difficult - so I'm really grateful to you all for sticking with me!

gems - they were so fast, the batter comes together in a flash and they're cooked in a flash. Really easy and fun. I edited a British cookbook last year that had a section on marrows and I broke my brain trying to get the author to define them for me... I thought this was what he meant. Do the pale pale green zucchini have a name in the US?

[Zia Elle]

Love your zucchini pancake, I will try them!!

[Ian Douglas]

I'm going to put in a vote for courgettes, rather than marrow. Marrow tend to be about the size of a very muscular forearm and more suited to stuffing than grating. Courgettes are about the size of an 8oz salami. They're not necessarily pale green, though. Curse you, squash, in your infinite variety.

[jacqueline]

ooooh! yes! i love these! i make them with only 3 tbsp of flour though... makes them less pancake more fritter. a soft pillowy fritter. i serve them with a sqeeeeze of lemon and i think it is the perfect counter point. oh boy. i know what i'm doing this sunday morning.

[Liana]

My daughter saw your photographs and said we had to make them yesterday, so we did. They were wonderful, even with a few substitutions—shallots for scallions, a bit of Havarti for feta, mixture of parsley and mint. And the yogurt was perfect with them and the grilled flank steak we also had. Thank you, as always, for sharing this!

[The Rowdy Chowgirl]

I'll have plenty of fresh zucchini and mint in my garden in a few months, but I don't think I can wait that long to try these. Yum!

[kim]

You got over your hatred of cilantro? How did you do that? I hate the stuff but it seems to be everywhere I want to have dinner.
I once made zucchini pancakes and failed miserably as I figured that 'cutting them up realy small' would be the same thing as shredding (not!). I'd like to try these though. After I buy a shredder.

[stephen]

this sounds great! I also like to make zucchini cakes with Latin influenced garnishes. Shredded Jicimia, cilantro and lime or pickled onions, avocado, oregano and cream go well with the crisp cakes. beautiful images by the way

[littleclove]

I am absolutely drooling over these pancakes. I love savory potato pancakes, but never thought of using zuchinni. I really can't wait to try these. thank you!

[Hungry Bunny]

NICE ONE!!

[amy]

boy does that sound good

must try soon!

I bet I could make that pass for a latke for hanukah too!

[Francesca]

Ooh, this is my dinner tonight. Yes it is!

[genia]

i make similar pancakes all the time. throw some cumin into the mix next time. totally delicious. zucchini pancakes are definitely one of my most favourite dinners.

[cindy]

Funny, I made braised spring vegetables with cornmeal herb dumplings tonight, and I completely FORGOT the baking soda in the dumplings. They tasted fine, but quite dense.