Mom's Zucchini Pancakes

My mom will be the first to tell you she doesn't generally branch out too much with her cooking.

Off the top of my head, I can't remember more than maybe five or six dishes she made for dinner when I was a kid. It's not that her cooking was bad, because it certainly wasn't, but she stuck to the classics. She was on a budget and cooking for a picky husband (ew, cheese) and two picky daughters (ew, meatloaf) was no easy feat -- one of us wanted macaroni and cheese, the other chicken tenders, and my dad wanted beef stew.

But there was one thing the four of us could ALWAYS agree on -- mom's zucchini pancakes.

Though I haven't lived with my parents in some time, I can still remember the smell of them cooking. I can remember as a kid sitting and watching my mom make them, waiting for her to turn for a moment so we could swipe a fingerful of the delicious garlic batter. We couldn't have cared less that there were raw eggs in it -- it was amazing.

Mom and her two zucchini swipers. My sister Christina, left, mom in the middle, and I'm on the right.

The very idea of a "zucchini pancake" bothers some people. They think I'm talking about a literal pancake made of zucchini -- some breakfast food on fiber-filled steroids, but that's not it. Zucchini pancakes are savory and snacky and garlicky and delicious and all that is good and right with the world. They were different than the kind you'd read about in a cookbook or see on a Food Network show. For one, the zucchini was never shredded but diced, and my mom's had a distinctly souffle-like texture because of the amount of egg in them. Mix it with garlic and seasoned breadcrumbs, and you'd end up with a WHOLE lot of delicious.

For years, I've asked my mom for her zucchini recipe. It wasn't that she ever hesitated to give it to me, but she kind of just... couldn't. She didn't measure when she cooked, and she could give me her best estimation, but that was it. Until this weekend.

While visiting this weekend, my mom brought me a batch of her zucchini pancakes -- I may be 25, but to my parents, I'm basically still in college, and they're still responsible for feeding me.

While she was at my house, I told her I wanted to blog her recipe and she FINALLY was able to give me at least close approximations so that you too can enjoy them in your home. So here it is, after many, many years spent trying to pin it down -- my mom's (very short and very easy) zucchini pancake recipe.

Mom's Zucchini Pancakes
Yield is approximately 30 5-inch cakes

1 large zucchini, diced into half-inch pieces
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 yellow onion, diced
9 eggs
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 cup olive oil

Combine eggs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and bread crumbs. When well combined, add zucchini and onion.

In a frying pan, heat 3-4 tablespoons olive oil on medium high heat. When fully heated, ladle mixture into hot olive oil. Three or four pancakes can be cooked in oil at once.

When oil is dried up, pour enough to cover the bottom of the pan and repeat ladeling process. In my mom's estimation, you will need to add oil before every other batch.



Enjoy!

Egg-cellent news!

It's very satisfying when hard work pays off.

A while back you may remember I posted a recipe for banana walnut bread. It's recipe #18 for Madame Menu, and I made it for my dad in an effort to come as close to my great-grandmother Gibby's recipe as possible. If I do say so myself, it's absolutely scrumptious.

I came up with the idea of the bread once I found out I'd be getting a free dozen of Eggland's Best eggs courtesy of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. I always buy Eggland's Best, because they're reasonably priced, I never have to worry about getting a bad egg, and I know they're going to taste fresh.

I posted my recipe in February, and I am absolutely thrilled to announce that thanks to that recipe, Eggland's Best has chosen Madame Menu (me) as one of 10 blogs to receive a year's supply of their eggs!

Here's a link to their announcement of winners on Foodbuzz.

I could not be happier -- (in my best Oprah voice) EVERYBODY'S GETTING BAKED GOODS, YA'LL! BAKED GOODS FOR EVERYOOOOONE!

Thanks Foodbuzz, and thanks Eggland's Best! I can't wait to egg-speriment with some more delicious and healthy recipes. Check out their website by clicking the image below, and definitely check out the recipe of the grand prize winner, "Eggs in Purgatory" here. It looks delicious.

Recipe #8: Pasta e Fagioli

When I was a kid, my mom made this soup once, and I remember going with her and my sister to bring it over to my great grandfather's for him to try. I don't remember his reaction, or whether he liked it, but I remember that whenever that was -- I'll guess about 15 years ago, maybe -- it was the best soup I'd ever had. It wasn't complicated and it wasn't expensive to make. It was basically a mixture of stuff anyone would already have in their pantry. A few weeks ago, I asked my mom about it, and if she remembered how to make it. To my surprise, she still had the recipe. When she sent it to me, I expected long detailed instructions, but after receiving a list of ingredients and two basic instructions, I called her to see if maybe she forgot part o the recipe. She told me she had gotten it from a chef on TV and just had a pen to write down the ingredients. Well, I've added a couple things of my own and I think I've gotten a pretty good soup. One item of note: It drives me absolutely crazy when I have seen repros of this recipe over the years and they include meat. Even Olive Garden's version contains meat. Traditional Pasta e Fagioli (which our family pronounces pasta fa-zool) doesn't have any meat in it, it has beans and tomatoes, because they were cheap "peasant foods." There was no meat in the real thing, so in mine still there shall be no meat! :) Please note -- wherever you see a (*) next to an ingredient or tool, there is a comment about it below the recipe. Enjoy!

Pasta e Fagioli

Cook time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic*
1 15-ounce can Great Northern Beans*
dash thyme
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
8-10 fresh basil leaves (4 whole and 4 ripped or chopped)
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups dry pasta*
4 tablespoons tomato paste

Tools
Large pot
Mixing spoon

Heat olive oil and garlic in pan over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add can of beans and liquid and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in tomato pasta, mix to combine. Add four chopped/ripped basil leaves, thyme and parmesan cheese, mix to combine. Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes.



Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add pasta, allow to cook for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.



Serve as is or garnished with a basil leave and topped with parmesan cheese and olive oil.



*Comments:
-Garlic: I don't usually use fresh garlic when I cook, unless it's going to be almost raw in the dish. What I use instead is a huge jar of Spice World minced garlic. It saves me the time of having to chop (and have my hands smell like) garlic for any given recipe. For this recipe, if you use the jarred garlic, use two tablespoons.

-Beans: If you can't find "Great Northern Beans," you can use cannellini beans. Just remember not to rinse them off or discard the liquid in the can. Adding the beans AND the liquid gives the broth a good amount of starch.

-Pasta: I used small shells for my soup, but any tiny pasta would work. Don't use a large pasta, or it will absorb a lot of space and you'll end up with more pasta than broth. Try a small variety or Barilla Picollini for tiny versions of big pasta!

Recipe #6: Apple Crisp

This has been my favorite recipe since I was five years old -- literally, the recipe I have is written out in my kindergarten teacher's handwriting. Mrs. Debartolo handed it out to everyone and their parents after a trip to Holmberg Orchards in Gales Ferry, Connecticut (the same orchard I visited with my family yesterday -- read about it and see pics here). My sister and I have helped our mom make this since we were little kids and have made it ourselves as adults, and everywhere I've ever brought it -- whether to a friend or relative's house or work for a breakfast treat -- it's always received rave reviews. I serve it with a bit of homemade whipped cream on top, but Cool Whip will do too. Either way, top this apple crisp with a bit of the cream when it's still hot and it will start to melt, making it that much more delicious! BONUS: While cooking, this also makes your house smell wonderful. This is a very simple recipe, and the hardest part (besides peeling the apples which isn't actually hard at all) is waiting til it's cool enough to eat to dig in. Please note -- wherever you see a (*) next to an ingredient or tool, there is a comment about it below the recipe. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp

Prep time: 30 minutes (includes time peeling apples)
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
8 cups peeled, sliced apples*
2/3 cup sifted flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2/3 cup melted butter*

Tools
13x9 baking dish, greased
fork
apple corer (optional)*
mixing bowl

Preheat oven to 375. Place sliced apples in greased baking dish.



Combine flour, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix until crumbly.



Sprinkle evenly over apples to coat well.



Bake for 45 minutes.



Serve with whipped cream.



*Comments:
-Apples: I used Macintosh apples because to me, they're the perfect mix of sweet and tart. But if those are unavailable where you live, you can use any variety that you enjoy. Granny Smith apples are also good. In case you're not sure what a Mac looks like...



-Butter: Since I hate when recipes don't specify whether you're supposed to measure butter before or after it's melted (is it 2/3 cup before it's liquid, or once it's already liquid?), I'll specify for you -- it's 2/3 cup after it's melted. For me, that translates to one full stick and three tablespoons of another before melting. Also, use salted butter. It makes it so much richer.

-Apple Corer: I have one of these handy tools that I got from Linens 'N' Things, but since I believe they're out of business, I'm pretty sure you can also find them at Walmart. I believe I spent a grand total of $5 on it, and it's completely worth it. It's a two piece tool that's pretty invaluable if you bake/cook with apples often. Otherwise, even making this recipe, I've found you lose a lot of apple "meat" just cutting around the core. It's simple to use. Shove the simple/sharper part through the core, ensure it's poking out the right spot on the bottom skin. Push through skin, and remove. Pop out core. Bam-o, done! Here's some pictures in case you don't know what I'm talking about:








Enjoy!