Something Besides Chicken for Dinner

Left to my own devices, especially when I am feeling busy (don’t you detest that word?) I could conceivably eat chicken for dinner every night. Fortunately for me my daughter doesn’t eat chicken, beef or pork, so whether I feel like it or not, I must come up with something besides chicken for dinner. We often default to pasta, with tuna and capers, or shrimp and lemon, but last week as the weather finally and suddenly turned chilly we both wanted something that would warm us up, and I wanted something I could put together quickly. Zucchini and potato pancakes fit the bill.

I had everything I needed already in the house, and my evening’s itinerary would suit this dinner nicely. It was a cold and rainy day, and my daughter had spent the afternoon rowing on the Schuylkill river. I got home and grated the zucchini, potato and onion in the food processor, wrapped the vegetables in a towel put that in a colander, topped the package with a teakettle full of water (for weight) and left it to drain while I went to pick her up.

She was cold, wet and hungry, and she got into the car shivering. We agreed there isn’t much worse than being cold and wet. She was pleased to hear that by the time she took a nice warm shower and got into her jammies dinner would be ready. She ran downstairs saying “It smell like Chanukah” which it did. I had considered grating some apple into the mixture, but I had come home from work with a container of black bean and corn salsa, so I thought the apple wouldn’t go well with that. We ate the crisp cakes with the salsa, sour cream and tomato jam. It was the perfect dinner, and warmed us through. The recipe made enough to get us through two dinners.

Zucchini and Potato Pancakes

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Serves	4
Prep time	1 hour
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	1 hour, 30 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish
Misc	Child Friendly

Ingredients

• 2 Medium zucchinni
• 2 Medium russet potatoes
• 1 Medium onion
• 1 Large egg
• 1/2 cup matzo meal (or breadcrumbs)
• salt and pepper
• oil for frying

Directions

Step 1

Wash and peel potatoes Remove ends from zucchini Peel onion Grate all three on a box grater or with a food processor Preheat oven to 250F

Step 2

Put grated vegetables into a clean dish towel, fold over the corners to make a package, and put into a colander with the corners on top

Step 3

Top with something heavy to help press the liquids from the vegetables Even if you let them drain and then wring out the liquid, more will continue to collect in the bowl, don't worry about that, either try to pour it off, or mix it back in

Step 4

In a large bowl, beat the egg, and add vegetable to that Add the matzo meal, and season with salt and pepper to your liking Mix well

Step 5

Heat a thin layer of neutral flavored, high heat oil such as peanut or safflower in a large skillet, over medium high heat Scoop mixture using a half cup measure ad put into pan, flattening the pancake with the back of the cup Let cook until brown, and turn to brow other side Lay finished pancakes on a pan lined with paper towels, and hold in oven until they are all done

Step 6

You can add one shredded apple to the mix, if you do add another egg, and 2 TBL of matzo meal Serve with applesauce, sour cream, tomato jam, any type of salsa, etc.