Vegetable Pancakes

A surefire way to get anyone to eat any vegetable, these crisp babies are delicious as a side dish, alone as an appetizer, or served on a bed of Nicely Dressed Salad Greens as lunch.

Root vegetables are most common, but you can use whatever looks good to you, alone or in combination: zucchini, yellow squash, winter squash, corn, or chopped scallions; even spinach or chard is good (just cook it, squeeze it dry, and chop it first). And consider tossing in a tablespoon of fresh herbs or spices. Sweet potato and corn benefit from a bit of cilantro, zucchini comes to life with dill, and ginger or cardamom will warm up winter squash beautifully. Serve with Olive Oil Drizzle, a sprinkling of Parmesan or chopped nuts, or any salsa.

About 1½ pounds grated vegetables, peeled first if necessary (3 cups packed), and squeezed dry

½ small onion, grated; or 4 scallions

1 egg or 2 egg whites, lightly beaten

¼ cup white or whole wheat flour, more or less

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive or vegetable oil or butter for greasing the pan

1 Heat the oven to 275°F. Grate the vegetable or vegetables by hand or with the grating disk of a food processor. Mix together the vegetables, onion, egg, and ¼ cup of the flour. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add a little more flour if the mixture isn’t holding together.

2 Put a little butter or oil in a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, drop in spoonfuls of the batter, using a fork to spread the vegetables into an even layer, then press down a bit. Work in batches to prevent overcrowding. (Transfer finished pancakes to the oven until all are finished.) Cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.