Savory Veggie Clear-Out Pancake
There comes a point every week when I find myself surveying the contents of my refrigerator and wondering how quite so many deli cups of odds and ends have managed to accumulate. None of them is ever enough to make a meal on its own, but together they represent a rather substantial amount of food that needs to find its way onto my plate as a cohesive meal, preferably one that I actually want to eat.
In summer, a lovely salad is usually the way to go. In autumn and winter, a savory pancake is one of my favorite solutions to this particular problem. A little flour, some leftover cooked grain if I happen to have any, and whatever vegetables are looking for a home can become a very satisfying dinner. It is also a useful reminder that leftovers don't necessarily need to be reheated and eaten in their original form, particularly when a hot skillet and a few minutes of turning batter crispy can transform them into something entirely different and moreish.
This time I had some steamed eggplant, radish greens from my CSA box that I knew would not last the night, and some cooked barley grits from making Sweet and Tart Eggplant. The pancakes were craggy, a little chewy, and full of vegetables, with enough browned edges to make me very happy. The barley grits contributed to the texture, but this would work with all sorts of leftover cooked grains, or without any grain at all.
I served mine with a mixture of soy sauce and Chinese black vinegar, but a little chili crisp, a spoonful of yogurt with lemon and garlic, or even your favorite hot sauce would work here. Ketchup in a pinch would be good too. The whole point is to use what you have, not to create another shopping list in the name of clearing out the fridge.
Makes 2 pancakes, both of which I ate. There were no leftovers from my leftovers...
2 cups mixed vegetables, chopped, cooked or raw as appropriate
1/2 shallot, very finely diced
1/3 cup cooked barley grits, or another cooked grain (optional)
3 Tbsps whole wheat flour
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
Mix the flour with three tablespoons of water and a little salt to make a batter. Stir in the barley grits or grain, if using. If you do use a grain in the batter, you will need a couple of additional tablespoons of water or the batter will be too thick. You want something that looks like a thick pancake batter.
Stir in your two cups of vegetables and the shallot. You want everything lightly bound together rather than swimming in batter. If the mixture seems too dry to hold together, and this will very much depend on what vegetables you use, add another small splash of water.
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Divide the mixture into two portions and add them to the skillet, flattening each into a rough pancake with the back of a spatula.
I originally attempted to make one large pancake, but discovered halfway through cooking that flipping it was going to be considerably more trouble than it was worth. I ended up dividing the mixture into two smaller pancakes right there in the skillet, which worked much better. I suggest skipping my initial experiment and making two from the outset.
Cook for about five minutes, until the undersides are nicely browned and the pancakes are holding together, then turn them carefully and cook for another four to six minutes. You may need to lower the heat to keep the pancakes from over-browning. The important thing is for the batter to be cooked through.
Serve with whatever sauce or condiment you have on hand, or that best matches the flavors of the vegetables that you used.
They will obviously change every time you make this. Just bear in mind that anything very watery should be drained or squeezed out first, and firmer raw vegetables may benefit from being grated or sliced thinly so they cook in the time it takes the pancake to brown. The result won't necessarily be particularly elegant, but then refrigerator clear-outs seldom are. I was just delighted that this particularly rustic version was absolutely delicious.