Italian-Style Vegetable Pancakes

I've made this twice now- and used whole wheat flour instead. Added carrots and parsnips the 2nd time. Omit cheese. Very good.

Italian-Style Vegetable Pancakes

Yield 4 servings

Time At least 30 minutes

Mark Bittman

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Summary

Here, grated raw or cooked vegetables are bound minimally with flour or breadcrumbs and seasoned with Parmesan and onions. Spread the lumpy batter onto a hot, greased griddle or pan and cook until crisp on both sides, but be careful: they\'re so soft that they can be difficult to cook.

Ingredients

• About 2 pounds zucchini, eggplant or turnips, peeled if necessary
• 1/2 onion, peeled and grated
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup flour or plain bread crumbs, more as needed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 to 4 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil

Method

• 1. Grate vegetables by hand or with grating disk of a food processor. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients except the butter or oil. The mixture should be fairly loose but not liquid; add a little more flour or bread crumbs if necessary.
• 2. Put the butter or oil in a large skillet and turn heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, put large spoonfuls of batter in the pan. Cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, 10 to 15 minutes total. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Cabbage slaw

Mark Bittman's Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw with Variations

I made this for a bbq with just cabbage, carrots, mustard, red wine vinegar, oil, garlic, and salt. Simple and delicious!

Servings:  8

If you want restaurant style coleslaw, you combine shredded cabbage with mayo and maybe a little lemon juice.  This version is far more flavorful with far less fat.  I like cabbage salad (which is what coleslaw amounts to) on the spicy side, so I use plenty of Dijon, along with a little garlic and chile (you could substitute cayenne for the chile or just omit it if you prefer) and scallions.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh chile (jalapeño, Thai, serrano, or habenero), or to taste, optional
1/4 cup peanut or extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups cored and shredded Napa, Savoy, green and/or red cabbage
1 large red or yellow bell peppers, roasted and peeled if you like, seeded, and diced or shredded
1/3 cup diced scallion, more or less
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves

Instructions

Time: 30 Minutes

1. Whisk the mustard, vinegar, garlic, and chile together in a small bowl.  Add the oil a little at a time, whisking all the while.

2. Combine the cabbage peppers, and scallion and toss together with the dressing.  Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.  (It's best to let this rest for an hour or so before serving to allow the flavors to mellow; the cabbage will also soften a bit and exude some juice.    Or let it sit for up to 24 hours if you like.  Drain slaw before continuing.)  Just before serving, toss with the parsley.