Veggie Pancakes

As you can see, the sun has started setting earlier, which means my "photography studio" doesn't get much natural light. Back to the dark cave photos!

My friend Allison sent me a recipe for Roasted Eggplant Feta dip that I really wanted to try with my two CSA eggplants, but I was so engrossed in earthquake coverage on the news that I didn't make it to the grocery store to get the feta. Luckily, I found an interesting recipe for Potato Eggplant Pancakes on a blog called That's Just Me. I threw in the green pepper I had and was going to add the fennel too, but it ended up being all stalk. :(

I really liked these pancakes and feel like they are a good way to use up lingering vegetables. I especially liked that I didn't have to peel the potatoes or the eggplants! Next time I would start with only two eggs, as I thought three were too many and I think that a dollop of creme fraiche or herbed mascarpone on top of the pancakes would have made them even better.

Vegetable Pancakes
Adapted from That's Just Me
Makes 8 5-inch pancakes

Ingredients

4 small potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 small eggplants, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 onion, quartered and layers separated
1 small green pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 large eggs (see my note above)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Toss vegetables with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, some salt and pepper and spread on a baking sheet. Roast until fork tender, 30-40 minutes, depending on how big you cut the vegetables. Let cool slightly.

3. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor and blend until well combined, but some chunks remain. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl and stir in eggs and flour.

4. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet/saute pan over medium heat. Add a scoop of the mixture to the pan to form a pancake (I was able to cook two at a time). Lower heat a little if the pancakes are browning too quickly. Continue cooking all of the batter and serve immediately.