Vegetable Pancakes

 Do you ever find a recipe online and count the days, minutes and seconds until you can create it?  Do you check your fridge three or four times a day making sure you have the right ingredients, wondering when you'll be able to eat your masterpiece, keeping track of how many kale leaves you have (actually, I'm sure no sane person ever goes through that)? For me, it was this recipe from Smitten Kitchen that un-did me. However, I had to wait several days before the stars would align and I would find some time in the kitchen while my two little monkeys gave me a break from Hot Wheeling down the driveway. Grandma took them to Despicable Me 2 and they came home talking like little yellow men that say "BEE-DO BEE-DO BEE-DO." Back to the pancakes.

You'll be glad that these pancakes are chock full of vegetables - cabbage, kale, carrots - because you'll want to eat at least 12 of them from the moment you try your first bite to the time you crash on your bed watching Conan re-runs. Or maybe that's just me.  But, seriously, these are addicting.  They are like chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside, full of vegetable goodness, kinda greasy from the oil you fry them in (but in a good way!), and you're eating kale - so who cares!

I really had a hard time not adding my own touch to these. There isn't much flavoring going on in the recipe. Not any herbs, hardly any salt, no garlic. I was having a hard time believing these were going to taste like anything I'd want to wrap my mouth around.  I just added a little bit more salt than the original recipe, so if you want to scale that back - your choice.  Otherwise, simplicity rules here.

See that big fishbowl of wine in the background? Yeah, that's how I roll.

The sauce was good, but if you don't have the time just use hoisin sauce.  Hope you love 'em as much as I did.

Printable Recipe Here

Vegetable Pancakes
recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 head Chinese or Napa cabbage, very thinly sliced (1 pound or 5 to 6 cups shreds)
4 medium carrots, shredded
5 lacinato kale leaves, ribs removed, leaves cut into thin ribbons
4 scallions, diced fine
2 t. kosher salt
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
Oil for frying
Tangy Sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1 1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. dijon mustard
1 T. sherry
1 t. soy sauce
1 T. honey
1/8 t. ground ginger
Directions:
Toss cabbage, carrot, kale, scallions and salt together in a large bowl. Toss mixture with flour so it coats all of the vegetables. Stir in the eggs. Heat a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with oil and heat.

Take 1/3 cup measurements of the pancake mixture and place in hot oil. Press down gently with a spatula to flatten slightly. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the edges brown. Flip the pancakes and cook them again until brown underneath.
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth and thick.
Serve pancakes with sauce drizzled over, more green onions and sesame seeds.