Move over, potato pancakes. This lighter, summery version with zucchini is perfect in hot weather. The pancakes combine grated zucchini and potato with egg and plenty of herbs — mint is my favorite. Fried in olive oil until crispy and golden, they may be served on their own or with a tangy yogurt-garlic sauce. You can make them in half an hour for a couple of people. Or, if serving for a crowd, make a lot — you’ll find them going like pancakes…
Galettes de courgette / Zucchini pancakes
I discovered this recipe during a short break at a friend’s place in Normandy last month. Her neighbor had offered her some zucchini from the garden. We stopped by to collect it, expecting some young, tender veggies. Instead we got one humongous zucchini — about half as long as baseball bat, and as thick as a caveman’s club.
What to do, what to do? We considered our options. Zucchini soup? Possibly, but it was hot outdoors and didn’t feel like soup weather. Zucchini purée? Ditto. Sautéed zucchini with garlic? We’d already done that the other night. And then inspiration struck. Zucchini pancakes! We consulted a few recipes online, then did our own thing. And it worked.
This will be a short post as I am about to leave on another trip, this time to the French Alps. It seems that everybody else in Paris has already left. This is the season when the French take their hard-earned month-long vacation, and I will be joining them. The Everyday French Chef is very happily taking a hard-earned break. So…
Happy cooking, and see you in September!
