Zucchini Pancakes

👥 6-8 (as meze) servings 🍽️ meze 🌍 Turkish

🥘 Ingredients

  • zucchini (peeled and shredded using the grater’s largest holes)
    5
  • salt
    1 scant tbsp
  • parsley (chopped)
    2 cups
  • dill (chopped)
    1/2 cups
  • mint (chopped)
    1/2 cups
  • green onions (minced)
    3 to 4
  • onion (diced)
    1
  • feta cheese (grated)
    4 oz
  • black pepper
    1 tsp
  • egg (beaten)
    1
  • egg yolk (beaten)
    1
  • flour
    3 heaping tbsp
  • flour
    1/2 tbsp
  • olive oil
    to fry
  • plain yogurt
  • dill

🍳 Cookware

  • clean dish towel
  • cheesecloth
  • bowl
  • frying pan
  • paper towels
  • serving dish
📝

WITH ITS ABUNDANCE of herbs, this was once a much-loved spring dish; people would eagerly anticipate the tableau of green pancakes with crispy edges. While zucchini is now available year-round, for some reason I still consider this a spring dish and try to serve it in season. In the Ottoman era, the spiced meatballs now referred to as köfte (köy) were also called mücver. Both the pancakes and meatballs were cooked in special pans with indentations called mücver tavası. These pans are found only in antique shops today, but a spoon and a flat pan work just as well.

  1. 1
    Lay the shredded zucchini on a clean dish towel or cheesecloth .
    zucchini: 5 (peeled and shredded using the grater’s largest holes)
  2. 2
    Sprinkle with salt , let sit for ⏱️ 15 minutes , then squeeze out the moisture with both hands and place the zucchini in a bowl .
    salt: 1 scant tbsp
  3. 3
    Add the parsley , dill , and mint .
    parsley: 2 cups (chopped), dill: 1/2 cups (chopped), mint: 1/2 cups (chopped)
  4. 4
    Add green onions , onion , feta cheese , black pepper , egg , and egg yolk .
    green onions: 3 to 4 (minced), onion: 1 (diced), feta cheese: 4 oz (grated), black pepper: 1 tsp, egg: 1 (beaten), egg yolk: 1 (beaten)
  5. 5
    Mix well, then gradually stir in the flour . If the batter seems thin, add flour more.
    flour: 3 heaping tbsp, flour: 1/2 tbsp
  6. 6
    Heat olive oil about 0.5 inch (12 mm) deep in a frying pan over medium heat.
    olive oil: to fry
  7. 7
    When the oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan and fry on both sides until nicely golden.
  8. 8
    Drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining batter.
  9. 9
    Arrange on a serving dish and serve hot with plain yogurt and dill .
    plain yogurt, dill