From the kitchen of Jeff the Fire Chef comes another original recipe to celebrate seasonal farm to table cooking. Inspired by his Polish grandmother's potato pancake recipe, but with a Tex Mex twist, this wholesome meal provides a wonderful opportunity to use up boatloads of zucchini from the Spring garden. The roasted corn and sweated poblano pepper flavors compliment each other well for a mouthwatering, cost effective meal that will leave your taste buds satisfied as well as plenty of leftovers to enjoy.
Equipment
- 1 Box Grater
- 1 Cast Iron Pan
- 1 Air Fryer Optional
- Measuring Cups
Ingredients
- 4 Zucchini Fresh/whole
- 1/2 cup Corn Fresh or frozen kernels
- 1/2 cup Onion Diced; sweet variety such as yellow or white
- 1/2 cup Poblano Pepper Roasted, sweated, diced
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 cup Flour All purpose
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1/2 cup Cornmeal Jiffy Cornbread Mix
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- Salt & Pepper To taste
- 2 tbsp Garlic Minced from a jar
- 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup Pepper Jack Cheese
- Milk A splash
- 2 Eggs
- Oil Vegetable or Canola
Instructions
Prepare Zucchini
- Grate and spread zucchini onto a paper towel-lined flat surface (this is the quickest way to get excess moisture out of the zucchini).
- Lay another layer of paper towels over the zucchini and press down to soak up as much moisture as you can.
- Let sit for 10 minutes on paper towel. Set aside.
Combine Dry Ingredients
- In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, all purpose flour, cornstarch, panko and salt & pepper.
Roast Pepper then Sauté Onion and Corn
- Put Poblano Pepper in oven (or on a grill) at 375 degrees physically on the rack. Cook for about 5 minutes on one side, then turn it, and cook for another 5 minutes on the other side. Make it charred and blistered. Pull out of oven wearing oven mitts, put in a Ziplock baggy, seal, and let sit for about 10 minutes to "sweat". Then remove skin (the skin will come right off) and dice.
- In a cast iron skillet (or frying pan), melt butter and cook onion, corn, poblano, and minced garlic over medium heat until onion is translucent and corn is tender (about 5 minutes).
Combine Ingredients
- In the bowl of dry ingredients, combine zucchini, cooked corn, pepper, garlic and onion mixture (does not need to be cooled first), milk, and egg.
Cook Fritters & Serve
- Heat a large skillet (or frying pan) over medium heat with about 1/4 inch of oil on the bottom. Scoop about 1/4 cup of fritter batter into the pan and smooth into a disk.
- Cook 3-4 fritters at a time to ensure even cooking, for 3-4 minutes on each side. Makes 8-10 fritters.
- Rest fritters on paper towel to minimize oil.
- An optional but worthwhile step for incredible slightly crispy texture, is finishing the fritters in an air fryer set at 400° for 7 minutes.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm and enjoy! They go great with a dollop of sour cream and garnished with fresh cilantro.
Notes
