Characteristic: fritters/savory pancakes

Using up random bits of things (and freeing up fridge space) AND making something delicious with said bits is one of my greatest pleasures. These quick rice patties came about one Saturday when we returned, very hungry, from a soccer game. And this template of a recipe is yet another reason to cook more rice than you think you'll need so that you can make these on the fly a day or two later.   You can make these with nothing but leftover rice, a couple of eggs, and a few herbs or spices but there are so many options! And ratios and quantities are totally up to you and what you're needing to use up. This batch included about 2 tablespoons of leftover Green Sauce (the simplified version w/out egg). Just be sure to add more eggs and/or cheese if you increase the amount of rice so that the patties stick together.... Read more »

If you've roasted squash and need to turn it into a meal these fritters might be the ticket. I love the combination of these fritters and my all-purpose cilantro yogurt sauce. Quantities, as per usual, are just suggestions and can be adapted to suit your needs. The variations on this template are manifold.   Variations Using other non-watery mashed vegetables, spices, grains or fresh herb, in great quantity, are a great addition. Good examples include sweet potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower. You can use a shallot or a chunk of onion in place of the green onions.      ... Read more »

I make these small and fry them until quite crisp. They are strong but delicious and nice as a part of a bowl or grains, pickles, vegetables, etc. Black radishes vary in their sharpness. For very strong ones, let them sit with the salt a little longer.  ... Read more »

These are quick and savory and will disappear as quickly as you can fry them.... Read more »

I have a thing for fritters, savory pancakes, latkes, and the like. There is a designated category of these delights on this site that is now 17 strong! These tender, fragrant and deeply yellow fritters are delicious with their cool, garlicky yogurt topping.  When I have time I toast my spices whole in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 90 seconds and then coarsely grind in mortar, though this dish is delicious with already ground spices as well.   I imagine these would be equally delicious with cauliflower or broccoli. ... Read more »

Everything I might put into fried rice gets mixed in a bowl and panfried into neat little pancakes. A delicious alternative! And another reason to make twice as much rice as you need in the moment. . .so you have it ready for this sort of quick dinner.   Cabbage, peas, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips or any leafy green, basil and/or mint would be great. Be sure to chop them finely which helps the pancakes hold together when frying. ... Read more »

Light, bright and tender. . . these are such a treat. I typically serve mizuna raw in salads or added to soups at the very end. In this preparation they stay really fresh despite the quick visit to the pan.  ... Read more »

These are deep green and light as air thanks to the beaten egg whites. The mint is a particularly wonderful element here.  If you don't have nettles you can substitute spinach, chard or beet greens.... Read more »

I like to make fritters of most anything and these pack a nice punch from the hot pepper and are earthy and filling. The garlicky, minty yogurt topping delivers a bright, fresh kick. ... Read more »

I cook more grains--rice, quinoa, bulgur, barley--than I need in the moment because leftover grains are so handy. These bulgur patties are quick to assemble, easy to adapt and so tasty. ... Read more »

One can turn most anything into a fritter, patty, latke-like thing. It rarely fails to, a) taste good, b) use up whatever random bits of vegetables and herbs I have, c) turn vegetable skeptics into vegetable lovers, d) serve as a light one dish meal! And I never deep fry them, mostly because I'm frugal and don't want to use that much oil and because it makes a mess and because I think they taste just as good just pan-fried in a little oil.   As usual, adapt as you see fit, using whatever herbs or spices you have on hand or particularly like. Use sweet potatoes or winter squash instead of potatoes; add greens, add leftover meat, skip the (green) garlic and herbs entirely.  ... Read more »

  Most root vegetables make good latke-like savory pancakes, and actually vegetables of all kinds make great savory pancakes and I have half a dozen or more recipes on this site for such things. Kohlrabi plus a potato or two for texture and flavor balance--though you could certainly just use kohlrabi or add any other tuber or root--lead to delicious results.   If you happen to have (grated or prepared) horseradish add a little to some whole milk or Greek yogurt and top the latkes with this spicy cream or top it with spicy mayo, ketchup (my son does this) sour cream, etc.... Read more »

A busy day and hectic evening with various neighborhood kids underfoot led to this impromptu creation. I like to make more rice than I need (in the moment) whenever I cook rice. So I happened to have 2 cups of short grain brown rice leftover from dinner the night before. I had two zucchini from the previous week's CSA share plus a new one so that was the foundation for these delicious fritters that I will make again and again. You can vary the vegetables, the type of rice or grain, the herbs the cheese--it's just a great template. I also happened to have this raw tomatillo and avocado salsa verde (takes only 5 minutes to make!) leftover as well, and it made a delicious topping for these savory fritters.  ... Read more »

  Over the years I've come to use scallions/green onions and spring onions (above) regularly. These lovely, long elegant onions that show up at the markets and CSA shares in late spring deserve to be made the center of a dish like in these very quick to make pancakes. And market/CSA scallions and spring onions tend to come with all the tops and please use them all. Spring onions vary in size. I like to use quite small ones (about 1-inch thick and 2-3 inches long) but just be sure you have a good mix of onion bulb and green stalk.  ... Read more »

This is quite similar to the plain summer squash pancake but the addition of corn, cumin and some herbs gives it a different and slightly heftier character. [caption id="attachment_6554" align="alignleft" width="640"] I had a bit of kale to use up so this batch is a bit greener than usual. They were just as delicious. It's a great recipe to use up whatever vegetables you have.[/caption]... Read more »

--adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison   Parsnips are so sweet and are balanced here by the greens, walnuts and sage. This is really like a large crispy pancake and is fantastic both as a side or a main.  ... Read more »

These are just so good! They come together quickly and don’t be put off by grating the zucchini onto a dishtowel or into a bowl and then wringing out the liquid. It’s easy and even fun to do and makes the fritters so much better and only takes a few minutes.  ... Read more »

I find these addictive. They’re perfect with any hot sauce or some Greek (or regular yogurt) that you’ve doctored with a little lemon juice and salt. About 10 3-inch fritters... Read more »

I grew up eating these often. My mother made dozens of them to feed the six of us plus whatever guest or exchange student happened to be around. You can use spinach, kale, bok choy greens (not the stems) or beet greens or any combination of greens and you can vary the spices.   The patties are great topped with either sour cream, Greek yogurt or mayo spiked with hot sauce or any kind of tomato jam or sauce. My mother used to serve these with rice and tomato sauce as a complete dinner.  ... Read more »

  --adapted from Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan   These are simple to make if you have a food processor. It takes 5 minutes to make the batter and a bit longer to fry them but they are so very good. These are enjoyed in Southwest France and I’m sure with variations of herbs and greens, but most typically they are made with chard, parsley and chives. I change up the ratio depending on how much chard I have and how green I want them to be. You can reduce the milk and flour and increase the greens for super green, light pancakes. This recipe makes a lot of pancakes so halve it or make the whole batch and just save some batter for the next day.   They also keep and freeze well and make great snacks. You can experiment with different flours and combinations of flours if you’d like. Half whole wheat flour or whole spelt works well.... Read more »