Tags
brunch, butternut, cakes, cumin, fritters, lunch, middle eastern, pancakes, potato, potimarron, vegetarian, za'atar
If you only try one new recipe this month, do try this one. These healthy vegetable pancakes are excellent for breakfast or brunch topped with a poached egg, served as a light lunch with a side salad or even as a tasty side dish to accompany meat for dinner. There is no need to shred or grate the veggies, you simply boil them as if you were making a mash – cannot be easier and less washing up too. Feel free to add some corn, cooked cauliflower or even broccoli to the mix if you wish. I have spiced them up a bit and given them a bit of a middle eastern flavour by adding the cumin and the za’atar and the taste is pure heaven. They are also not deep fried like fritters but lightly sautéed more like a pancake, so healthier for you too. So, what are you waiting for…. Get cooking.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
500 g / 1 lb butternut or potimarron, peeled and cut into large cubes
1 tablespoon butter
2 medium onions, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon za’atar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, whisked
3 tablespoons oil
to serve
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Handful of rocket or mâche leaves
Preparation:
Place the butternut and potatoes in a saucepan with water and cook until soft
Drain and return to the heat to dry them out for about 20 seconds
Mash with a potato ricer or a masher, set aside
In a sauté pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onions
Cook until soft and lightly brown
Add the onions to the butternut and potato mixture
Add the cumin, za’atar, salt and pepper
Add the egg and mix well to combine, the mixture will be soft but not runny
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan
Spoon heaps of the mixture into the pan and press gently to flatten a bit
After about 2 minutes, flip the cakes carefully (they are fairly soft)
Cook until golden brown
Keep warm until all the mixture has been cooked
Place one cake on a plate and top with a spoonful of crème fraîche, add another cake and another spoonful of cream
Sprinkle with the cilantro and the salad leaves
Enjoy!
Oh these will be made soonest – working from home lunch is my main meal of the day usually, and a few of these with a big salad will do beautifully for the day, thank you 🙂 ! Possibly shall try thick Greek yogurt for a change also ? The za’atar should provide the je ne sais quoi to the pancakes . . . And thanks for the ‘lesson’ – I did not have a clue what a ‘potimarron’ was: don’t think we have this heirloom red winter squash here in Australia . . . .
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I am sure you will enjoy them. As you say, the za’atar makes them special.
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Going to try these at the weekend thank you so much, they look delicious
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I do hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
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I’m not a fan of butternut squash, but I like the look and flavours in the recipe, so I might try a substitution – perhaps celeriac…
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You could even use spinach, carrots, potato and leek, corn – you name it.
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Cool, those would definitely work 😉
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It doesn’t sound great, but you do make it look great!
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It is delicious, believe me😃
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