When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to have for dinner was breakfast. Every now and then my dad would make a huge mess of waffles or pancakes with jam-sweetened sour cream (it's a Scandinavian thing) and usually some bacon or sausage. The prospect of a sweet, doughy treat in the evening was somehow even more exciting than when he made them for breakfast!As an adult I still enjoy breakfast for dinner, or "brinner" as we like to call it. This dish is a bit of a departure from your average breakfast but a simple meal of hot pancakes topped with sauce is still decidedly brinner-esque. These gluten-free pancakes are crisp on the outside thanks to the brown rice flour and soft, toothsome and packed with vegetables on the inside. You can make these with any ol' flour you have on hand, but I highly recommend giving the rice flour a try. It's nutritious and it tastes great!
The tomato sauce in this recipe is a great way to use up all those late-summer tomatoes you may have on hand that are starting to get soft. I used smallish yellow ones to yield a beautiful golden, buttery sauce but any kind of tomato will work well. Just use a sharp knife to make an "X" on the bottom of the tomato, toss it in boiling water for a minute or two, then plunge into ice water immediately. Once the tomato is cool it's a cinch to peel and you'll be moments away from this luxurious sauce.
Zucchini and Corn Pancakes with Brown Butter Yellow Tomato Sauce
makes about 8 large pancakes
Pancakes:
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 medium yellow squash, grated
3 ears of fresh corn
2 large eggs
3/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Tomato Sauce:
3 T salted butter
1/2 a yellow onion, diced
5 medium yellow tomatoes, shocked and peeled
salt and pepper, to taste
First, prep your vegetables. Toss the grated zucchini and squash with about a teaspoon of salt and allow to drain in a colander for at least 20 minutes, periodically giving the squash a gentle squeeze to release the excess liquid. Cut the corn kernels from the cob and toss with the squash. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, flour and milk until smooth. Heat a large, flat-bottomed pan over medium-high and add about 3 T of the olive oil (enough to coat the bottom thoroughly). Add veggies to the pancake batter just before you are ready to fry the pancakes, season with salt and pepper, and mix well to combine. Spoon the batter directly into the pan and fry each pancake until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Add more olive oil to the pan as necessary and keep the pancakes warm in a 250-degree oven.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high. As soon as butter has melted, reduce heat to between medium and medium-high and cook until the butter is browned, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pot and crush with a wooden spoon until a chunky sauce results. Cook another 5 minutes (longer, if you like) and season with salt and pepper. Serve pancakes with tomato sauce on top and garnish with chopped parsley.