Zucchini Pancakes with quick Basil Pesto.

Another recipe shamelessly stolen from Beyond Salmon. I love Helen Rennie's cooking style, and she is completely correct, this is a great way of using the glut of zucchini we all seem to get at around this time of year. It is a new core recipe and totally DR. We made a quick pesto for over top, and it was great (the instructions incude a slight variation that makes it a little easier to get right). Helen says...
What do you do with a zucchini that doesn't require any other ingredients, yet isn't totally boring? That was the dilemma facing me a few days ago. I didn't want to grill since it was raining, and I didn't feel like sautéing since I find sautéed zucchini kind of boring. Roasting could be a good idea, but it's much more interesting when zucchini are mixed with some other veggies, which I didn't have. That's when it dawned on me -- how about zucchini pancakes! I've never made them and was dying to try this dish I remember my Mom making. It's common in Russia to make oladyi (pancakes) with all kinds of vegetables and zucchini were one of our favorites.

I didn't have a recipe, but the one I improvised seemed to work incredibly well. The only extra ingredients necessary to make this dish are flour, eggs, salt, and oil (all of which are staples). I threw in some scallions since I found them lying forgotten in a drawer of my fridge, and then fried my pancakes in sunflower seed oil (the olive oil of Russian cooking). It's perfect for frying since it doesn't burn and imparts a great aroma to your dish (at least if you buy the real stuff from a Russian store). But if you don't have sunflower seed oil handy, canola oil will work just fine.

Serves 4 as a side dish

3/4 Lb zucchini (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions (optional)
Salt and pepper
Sunflower seed or canola oil for frying

Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater (or using a food processor).

Add flour, egg, scallions, and a generous amount of salt and pepper (and whatever other spices strike your fancy) in a large mixing bowl. Mix well to form a thick pancake-lie batter. Transfer zucchini to the bowl. Helen recommends squeezing the excess liquid out of the zucchini at this stage, which I think I forgot to do. Mine weren't overly wet, and the pancakes had a nice moisture to them, when done, so it's your call.
Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add enough oil to lightly coat. When oil is hot (moves as easily as water when you tilt a pan), add the batter a spoonful at a time (each spoonful makes one pancake). Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel and repeat with the rest of the batter adding more oil as necessary. Serve immediately with sour cream, yogurt, or plain.

We added a quick pesto by combining

A large handful of fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic
olive oil to the desired consistency.
juice from a lemon wedge
touch of salt

we threw these in the bowl of the little chopper attachment that came with our immersion blender. zip, zip, zip, and we had enough for a nice dollop on each pancake. I could see a variety of different toppings working well here, and that's what makes this recipe a keeper, easy and lots of variations. We served alongside a nice big dinner salad.

Earth and Sea Salad

2 cups dried Arame
1 cup dried Hijiki
1/2 cup julienned Red Pepper
1/2 cup chopped Scallions
1/2 cup julienned Carrots
1/2 cup Cucumbers, peele, seeded and sliced
1/2 pound teriyaki or similar marinated Tofu
1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
3/4 cup thawed frozen Corn

Dressing:
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar
1/2 cup Mirin
1/2 cup Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp. fresh grated Ginger

Soak the arame and hijiki for 30 minutes. Squeeze out water and pick out any foreign matter. Simmer in boiling water for 30 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, mix Dressing and set aside. Thaw corn and chop vegetables. Cut tofu into strips. Cool seaweed and combine with vegetables, sesame seeds, tofu and dressing. Let rest 30 minutes and toss before serving.

Kale with Sesame Dressing

Tastes just like Ohitashi, the spinach dish we often get as a sushi appetizer.

1 Bunch Kale, well washed, roots and course stems removed
2 1/2 T toasted white sesame seeds
1 1/2 t cane sugar
1 1/2 t Soy Sauce
Pinch Salt

Steam kale over boiling water for 3 minutes, or until just bright green and wilted. Drain in a colander, and rinse under cold water. Gently squeeze kale to release excess water. Lay kale on a clean towel and gently roll up to absorb any remaining liquid.

In a small bowl, mix sesame seed with sugar, soy and salt

Unroll kale and cut into 1 inch pieces place in bowl and mix with dressing. Serve cold or warm slightly.

Gobi Ki Sabzi - Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

5 tb Vegetable oil
1 ts Mustard seeds
1 Piece of fresh root ginger, 1-inch; peeled & sliced thi
1 Onion; sliced
1 ts Turmeric
1 Green chilli; chopped
1 lg Cauliflower; trimmed, cut into florets
1 ts Salt
1/2 Lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon, th

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Add the mustard seeds, reduce the heeat to moderate and cover the pan. When the seeds stop spattering, remove the lid and add the ginger, onion, turmeric and green chilli. Fry stirring occasionally for 3 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and salt and stir well. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the top, cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook cauliflower for 20 minutes, or until florets are tender, but not mushy. Turn contents of pan into serving dish. Sprinkle over the coriander (cilantro?) and serve.

Little Latin Meatballs (Albondiguitas)

These meatballs can be kept warn in their salsa: they will stay moist. Chop the jalepeno peppers finely and mix thoroughly into the beef mixture to even out the impact.
---------------------------------
2 Jalepeno Peppers
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup cry bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salsa (below)

Remove stems, seeds and membranesfrom peppers; chop peppers.
Mix peppers, beef, beef, egg, bread crumbs, milk, cheese, onion, salen and peppers.
Shape mixture into 1 inch balls. Place in ungreased pan, 13x9x2 inches.
Bake uncovered in 400 degree oven until brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with Salsa, sprinle chopped parsley on top.

Salsa:
-----
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 medium tomato chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tablespoons snipped parsley
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt.

Balsamic-Grilled Radicchio w/Shaved Pecorino

Chef Michael Presnal of The Federal Restaurant in Agawam, Massachusett, writes: "The recipe here was featured on one of my first menus as a chef, before I got into the kind of complex cooking I do now at The Federal. That was over ten years ago, but I still love making this dish at home. It calls for just a few fresh ingredients and takes only a couple of steps."
Serve as a side dish or first course.

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 large heads of radicchio, each quartered through core end
1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese shavings

Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, orange peel, and crushed red pepper in large bowl. Add radicchio and toss to coat. Marinate 15 minutes.
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Drain marinade into small bowl. Place radicchio on grill; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill radicchio until edges are crisp and slightly charred, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer radicchio to serving platter. Drizzle with reserved marinade and sprinkle with cheese shavings.
Test-kitchen tip: To make the cheese shavings, use a vegetable peeler to cut long strips from a wedge of Pecorino Romano. 

Makes 8 servings.
From www.epicurious.com

Artichoke Fritters

Vegetable oil
1 (18-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 lemon, to squeeze over fritters
Kosher salt, to sprinkle
Lemon Cream, recipe follows, optional

Pour 3 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy bottomed pot and place over medium heat until a bread cube placed in the oil browns within 1 minute.
Coarsely chop the artichokes (or alternatively crush by hand) and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic and scallions, milk, egg, lemon zest and lemon juice. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a separate bowl and quickly mix the dry ingredients into the artichoke mix. Drop the fritters by the heaping tablespoonful into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Work in batches until all the batter is used. Keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve. Immediately before serving, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over all and hit with a bit of kosher salt. Serve with a dollop of Lemon Cream on top, if desired.

Lemon Cream:
1 cup sour cream
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.