We made zucchini pancakes and ate them while watching Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at Prospect Park!

Pictured above is my mother holding a giant zucchini she grew in her garden while Alice the Basenji looks on. This zucchini, may it rest in peace, was as thick and almost as long as my arm. (My mom was a little embarassed to have her picture taken with it. "It's obscene!") I knew I had to make something special with it, but I didn't know what. And then Alena reminded me of a post I'd seen on Serious Eats for zucchini pancakes. It was the perfect thing to take with us to the Sharon Jones concert that night.

Zucchini Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini (Or one obscenely giant zucchini which probably equaled more than two mediums.)
  
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or oregano (We used thyme.)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest (This really made a big difference! We probably added more than the recipe, and it really added a nice dimension to the flavor.)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed

Procedure

1. Shred the zucchini and onion on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor with the shredding disk. Place the shredded vegetables in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with the salt. Toss to combine. Let drain for 30 minutes, then pick up by the handful and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Place on a kitchen towel or double layer of paper towels. (We should have taken this step more seriously--ours came out a little mushy, though still delicious.)

2. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, garlic, cheese, herbs, lemon zest, and pepper. Beat well with a fork. Add the drained zucchini mixture and mix together. Sprinkle the flour and baking powder on top and mix with a fork just until well combined.

3. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy pan. When the oil is hot, drop the batter into the pan by heaping tablespoonful. Cook for about three minutes on the first side, until nicely browned. Flip and cook for about two minutes more. Place the cooked pancakes on a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining oil and batter. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream, tzatziki or applesauce.

We decided to go with tzatziki because my parents had also recently given me packet of tzatziki mix they brought back from their trip to Greece.

The mix really made a difference. Tzatziki is so often too bland. We just added yogurt, lemon, a little olive oil, and some chopped up cucumber. It was perfect on the pancakes!

Here are Lauren, Alena and Keelin enjoying our picnic at the concert:

Click here for a youtube vid from the concert! Sharon Jones is my hero.