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So here it is. With an entire month of anticipation for my first post, I’m posting a ridiculously easy, mildly seasonal, but definitely vegetarian meal: savory corn pancakes topped with lemon yogurt and roasted red peppers and oven roasted green beans.
From what I understand from
watching food pornreading recipe blogs, oven roasting green beans is borderline sacrilege among the hardcore foodies, because it’s summer and everything should be blanched if it must be cooked at all. And I was going to blanche them - really, I was. But the oven was already at roasting temperature and really - blanching requires attention, and additional bowls, and an ice bath… and it was so much easier to just rinse off the already-covered-in-foil baking sheet that I used to roast the peppers and roast the green beans, too. I would ask for your forgiveness, but they were pretty damn good, so without apologies, here are the recipes:Savory Corn Pancakes
(adapted from my fave recipe blog, The Smitten Kitchen)
Butter
1 cup fresh corn kernels from an ear of corn
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 1/4 c buttermilk
3/4 c flour (all purpose will taste lighter, we used white whole wheat which makes it denser and chewier - your choice!)
1/4 c corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 - 3/4 c grated Pecorino Romano (I probably used more like 3/4 c)
1/4 c chopped green onions
1. Sautee the corn with a tablespoon or so of butter over medium heat. It should take 5ish minutes to get them slightly browned, then you’ll set them aside to cool (important so they won’t cook the egg!) while you mix up everything else. This is a good place to take a break and do the beans and the lemony yogurt.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a small to medium sized bowl
3. Mix the buttermilk, egg and browned corn kernels together in a larger bowl. If you’re going to do it properly, beat the egg in the bottom of the bowl, and then add in the buttermilk and corn. They will likely turn out just fine if you do a quicker/dirtier version of this.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until fully incorporated and then add the cheese and green onions. Let it all sit for a few minutes, and in the meantime, you can chop up your bell peppers into a large dice and take your yogurt out of the ‘fridge.
5. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a pan over the stove on medium heat. When it’s all melty and sizzley, pour 1/4 c of pancake batter into the pan. Wait until you see bubbles forming on the top of the pancake, then flip. Wait another minute and then flip it onto a plate (cover it with foil or something to keep it warm. I use an upside down pot, but that’s another story).
6. To serve, arrange 2-3 pancakes on a plate alongside green beans. Top pancakes with yogurt, pepper relish and your choice of salt/pepper and/or chopped green onions.
Roasted Green Bean
Green beans (as many as you are going to eat)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Preheat the oven to 400. Snip the tips and stems off the beans, rinse them, and toss in oil. Lay them out on a baking tray (foil covered = less clean up) and crank some salt and pepper over them. This whole process is completely to taste, so if you like more flavor, go for it with the salt and pepper.
Roasted Peppers
Two red bell peppers
1/4 c red wine vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking tray with foil. Lay the peppers long-side-down on the tray and when the oven is hot, put the tray in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Flip the peppers every 15 minutes until they look roasted. Take them out and tent them with foil for 15-20 minutes or until they’re cool enough to handle without burning your fingertips and cursing your own impatience.
Use your hands to gently peel their skins off - this should be pretty easy. Then remove the seeds and slice the peppers into thinnish strips (1/4 inch) and place in a bowl with the vinegar. Let them sit for an hour or as long as it takes to make the rest of the meal.
Lemony Yogurt
1/2 c greek yogurt
1/2 lemon’s worth of fresh lemon juice
Combine and enjoy! Taste it to make sure it’s tangy enough for you.
