Mom's Corn Fritters

Mom’s Corn Fritters

Today is Shrove Tuesday, a Christian holiday, the day before Lent, when it has been traditional to eat pancakes. So it’s also known as Pancake Tuesday. I like that! Anyone can relate to pancakes! And enjoy a day feasting on some! Especially if the pancakes are my Mom’s Corn Fritters. Crispy on the outside, soft and puffy within and loaded with corn. For breakfast, lunch or dinner. With a little (lot?) real maple syrup.

CORN FRITTERS

2 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 cups cooked corn kernels
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons salt (or to taste
butter for frying
maple syrup, optional

Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In a bowl, beat the egg and milk together. Stir in the cooled melted butter and the corn kernels. In a second bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt; add this to the corn mixture and stir ingredients gently to blend them together. Heat a small amount of butter in a saute pan over medium heat (about 2 teaspoons). When the butter has melted and looks foamy, spoon the corn batter by the 1/4-cupful into the pan, leaving some space between each one. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the bottom has browned. Flip the pancakes and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the second side is brown. Use more butter in the pan as needed. Serve with maple syrup if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings

Scallion Cakes - a Three-fer Celebration

Scallion Cake

It’s almost Chinese New Year and also Ed’s birthday and also Super Bowl. I can think of no food that would be more perfect for all three occasions than Scallion cake. Crispy. Delicious. Freezable.

SCALLION CAKES

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup boiling water

• 1/3 cup cold water

• vegetable oil

• 4-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 3 scallions, finely chopped

Place the flour in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the boiling water and mix at medium speed until a rough dough has formed. Let cool for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cold water and mix until the dough forms into a ball. Knead for 4-5 minutes or until smooth and elastic (you can do all this in a food processor). Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, roll one piece of dough into a 10-inch circle. Brush the dough with about 1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Sprinkle with about 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Sprinkle with about one tablespoon of the chopped scallion. Roll the circle jelly roll style. Form the rolled dough into a coil. Press down on the coil to flatten it slightly. Roll the coil into circles about 1/8-inch thick (don’t worry if some of the dough breaks and the scallions pop through slightly). Repeat with the remaining dough, salt and scallions. Keep the circles separated. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a skillet large enough to hold the circles. Cover the pan and cook each circle, one at a time, over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy. Add more vegetable oil to the pan as necessary for each circle of dough. Drain the fried circles on paper towels. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Serve hot. Makes 48 pieces

Zucchini Latkes with Cheese

Anyone who knows me knows that the humble potato is my favorite food, so of course I am going to make potato latkes for Hanukkah!

But, ya know …. it’s a long, delicious holiday, so there’s time for zucchini latkes too. The recipe here includes cheese, because on Hanukkah I like to prepare food with cheese in honor of Judith, heroine of Hanukkah! You can read about it here.

Of course you can make these latkes without the cheese. They’re delicious either way.

Zucchini Latkes with Cheese

• 2 medium zucchini (10-12 ounces each)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, approximately (Matzo meal also fine)

• vegetable oil for frying

Shred the zucchini in a food processor (or grate by hand). Place the shreds in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, toss the shreds and let rest for 10-12 minutes. Squeeze the shreds to extract as much liquid as possible. Return the shreds to the bowl. Add the onion, cheese and eggs and mix the ingredients. Add the bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. If the mixture seems too loose or soft, add another tablespoon or two (different bread crumbs absorb liquid/moisture differently). Heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Spoon portions of the mixture into the pan to make latkes about 2-inches in diameter. Leave some space between each one. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy and golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture. Serve with dairy sour cream or plain yogurt or mashed avocado.

Makes about 12