Summer Session: Week 6 Boxletter

Not at all traditional Okanomiyaki

(vaguely Japanese veggie pancakes)

Shredded veggie pancakes of any kind are a great way to use most any kind of veg you might have.  These are one of my favorite for dinner, breakfast or made into little appetizer sized guys for a party!  They also freeze really well once cooked.  Just pull them out and reheat in a hot oven till crisp.  By leaving the squash a little bigger you’ll have less water loss.  You can also more finely shred the squash, but you’ll want to squeeze out any extra liquid before mixing in with the other veggies. 

1/2 small head cabbage, very thinly sliced (1 pound or 5 to 6 cups shreds) which will be easiest on a mandoline if you have one

2 medium summer squash/zucchini peeled into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

5  kale leaves, ribs removed, leaves cut into thin ribbons

4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

Canola, safflower or peanut oil for frying

Tangy Sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (note: this is not vegetarian)

1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon rice cooking wine or sake

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey (use 2 if you like a sweeter sauce)

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Make the pancakes: Toss cabbage, squash, kale, scallions and salt together in a large bowl. Toss mixture with flour so it coats all of the vegetables. Stir in the eggs. Heat a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with oil and heat that too.

To make a large pancake, add 1/4 of the vegetable mixture to the skillet, pressing it out into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch pancake. Gently press the pancake down flat. Cook until the edges beging to brown, about 3 minutes. 30 seconds to 1 minute later, flip the pancake with a large spatula. (If this is terrifying, you can first slide the pancake onto a plate, and, using potholders, reverse it back into the hot skillet.) Cook on the other side until the edges brown, and then again up to a minute more (you can peek to make sure the color is right underneath).

To make small pancakes, you can use tongs but I seriously find using my fingers and grabbing little piles, letting a little batter drip back into the bowl, and depositing them in piles on the skillet easier, to form 3 to 4 pancakes. Press down gently with a spatula to they flatten slightly, but no need to spread them much. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the edges brown. Flip the pancakes and cook them again until brown underneath.

Regardless of pancake size, you can keep them warm on a tray in the oven at 200 to 250 degrees until needed.

If desired, make okonomiyaki sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and thick.

Serve pancakes with sauce and any of the other fixings listed above, from Japanese mayo to scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Zucchini Soup with Gremolata

The point of this soup is the gremolata.  I mean, the soup is fantastic and a great way to use the increasing amount of squash coming your way, but the gremolata is what makes it by adding both flavor and texture!  The soup calls for za’atar which is an amazing little spice blend typically with thyme, oregano, sesame seed and sumac but there are a lot of variations on it.  You can typically find it in well stocked grocery stores and spice shops.  We did have some in the barn from The Kitchen Imp Spices, so if you’re on the farm be sure to grab a package or any of her other spice mixes would be awesome in here!

Almond Gremolata

1/3 cup toasted unsalted almonds (I just toast them in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan often)

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

zest of 1 lemon

½ cup parsley, roughly chopped

1 tablespoons lemon juice

pinch of salt

Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

2 pounds zucchini or summer squash, cut into cubes

1 ½ tablespoons za’atar

3 cups hot vegetable stock

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the gremolata by pulsing together the almonds, garlic, and lemon zest in a small food processor. Add the parsley, lemon juice and salt and continue to pulse until the mixture is roughly chopped. Taste for seasonings and set aside.

Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer on the stove.

Heat the oil in in a heavy bottom pan and cook the onion over medium heat until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and za’atar and cook for about 3 minutes longer. Add the hot stock and a hefty pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook gently until the zucchini are cooked but not too soft, about 3-5 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove about half of the zucchini and place them in a bowl. Transfer the rest of the soup to a high speed blender and blend on high until completely smooth and creamy. Divide the remaining zucchini cubes between bowls, then gently ladle in the blended soup. Top with the gremolata and enjoy.

Adapted from dishingupthedirt.com

A Slaw for all Occasions

Last year I declared it to be the ‘summer of slaw’.  There’s no reason that has to end and given the resurgence of cabbage, I say, let’s bring it back or keep it going if you, like me, have never stopped making slaw.  This is the basic recipe for which I have made numerous versions of based on what’s floating around in the fridge or what it may be accompanying.  Kohlrabi would slide right in here without a problem as would kale for some color. 

1 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded or enough to get you about 6-8 cups shredded cabbage

1 bunch herbs, cilantro, dill or parsley

1 bunch green onions

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ C mayonnaise

½ C Greek yogurt

Juice of half a lime or lemon

Salt and pepper

Mix the garlic, mayo, yogurt and lemon juice together till smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

In a large bowl toss all the veggies together.  Add the slaw dressing a bit at a time until you get a cohesive mixture.  Taste and add more salt and/or pepper as needed. 

Slaw is best served straight away, it tends to get a bit weepy if you try to make it too far ahead of time.