It’s that time of the year when people are begging for something new to do with their summer squash. Another zucchini bread? No need. You can make these healthy and delicious pancakes for lunch, dinner, or as a side dish.
 
This is a recipe I’ve been making for two years, but I've added new modifications. So, I’m revisiting the recipe here so that you can enjoy it in its improved incarnation. The pancakes were always tasty, but they didn’t stick together as well as I’d have liked. So, I'd been adding an extra egg, to make two. The last time I cooked these latkes, I also added more millet flour (1/3 cup rather than 1/4 cup), and I added more salt, in part because so much is lost when the liquid is removed from the squash. The result was a much more firm pancake that didn’t lose any of its amazing flavor.
 
Summer Squash Latkes
 
3-4 medium yellow squash or zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 small to medium onion, grated
1/3 cup millet flour
2 eggs
pepper
oil for frying (I used olive oil)
 
Peel squash; grate. Place in a large bowl with salt, and wait a few minutes until the salt makes the squash weep. Then place in a wire mesh sieve, pressing liquid out over a bowl or the sink. Continue until liquid is removed. Pat squash and bowl dry. Return squash to bowl. Grate onion and add to squash. Add millet flour, egg, and pepper, mixing well.
 
Heat about 1/4-inch oil in a large skillet over medium or medium high heat; do not allow oil to burn.
 
Using a large spoon, drop pancakes into hot oil, pressing them flat with the spoon or a spatula. Fry until edges brown. Turn and fry other side. Press pancakes to remove moisture from inside. Drain onto plates covered with paper towels. Add more olive as needed.
 
Serve hot with sour cream and/or applesauce. Yield: 10-12 pancakes. Refrigerate any leftovers with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Note: To reheat, place in toaster oven or conventional oven. Do not microwave.
 
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I find these filling enough to make a meal out of four or five, especially when accompanied by sour cream and applesauce. For those of us who don’t eat nightshade vegetables and therefore can’t have a potato pancake, these Summer Squash Latkes are a welcome alternative. And those of you who can eat potatoes will also love this healthier option.

Because I can’t eat nightshade vegetables, I rely on squash for many of my meals. And when I’m at the farmers’ market, I have a tendency to overbuy—because everything looks so good! I’d already baked my zucchinis into a cake and a casserole, but the three medium-sized crookneck squash were past their prime, as was the one small pattypan squash that the farmer had thrown in for free.

I found and modified a recipe for squash pancakes, and to my great surprise and joy, they tasted just like the potato pancakes (latkes) I used to make. Although I don’t often miss white potatoes, I do miss latkes. If you close your eyes and eat these crispy pancakes with a soft center, you might not be able to tell the difference. And they are relatively easy to make.

Summer Squash Latkes

3-4 medium yellow squash (or zucchini), grated
1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup millet flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
oil for frying (I used olive oil)

Peel squash; grate on large setting. Place in bowl with salt and wait a few minutes until the salt makes the squash weep. Then place in a wire mesh sieve, pressing liquid out over the sink. Continue until liquid is removed. Pat dry. In a large bowl, grate onion over squash so that the juice is retained. Add millet flour, egg, and pepper, mixing well.

Heat about 1/4-inch oil in a large skillet over medium to medium high heat; do not allow oil to burn.

Using a large spoon, drop pancakes into hot oil, pressing them flat with the back of the spoon or with a spatula. Fry until the edges brown. Turn and fry other side. While cooking, press pancakes to remove moisture from inside. Drain onto plates covered with paper towels.

As the batter sits, it will get more watery. Either dip out some of the liquid into the sink or tip the bowl slightly so as not to get so much moisture in the oil. Also, you might need to discard the old oil after it browns and degrades, depending on how many pancakes you make.

Serve hot with sour cream and/or applesauce. Yield: 10-12 pancakes. Note: To reheat, place in toaster oven or conventional oven for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Do not microwave. 

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I’ll admit, I ate one pancake just after it cooled enough not to burn my mouth. Yum! The grated onion makes for a savory treat. I couldn’t wait to try one with sour cream. If you are not a native New Yorker as I am, maybe you have not eaten potato pancakes with sour cream. But try it before you dismiss it. (Think: sour cream onion dip.)

My dinner was comprised of these pancakes along with the sour cream and a sliced apple. Including my taste test, I ate five. And they were scrumptious.

When I was growing up, my mom fed us what I’d call the “normal” vegetables: peas, green beans, corn, maybe some lima beans every so often. I don’t recall any of them being fresh; in fact, I was thrilled to have a frozen vegetable because they were such an improvement over their canned limp counterparts. But squash was never a staple at my house. In fact, the only squash I’d been acquainted with was the ubiquitous pumpkin, which was more of an icon than a food source. So squash, other than zucchini and yellow squash, is something I’m not likely to purchase. But at the winter farmers’ market, the butternut variety beckoned to me, and I decided that it was worth the three-dollar risk.


“How do you cook it?” I asked the grower, expecting a healthy, yet exotic, recipe.

“Oh, I just microwave it with some butter,” she replied.

The food snob inside me winced, but all I said was, “Is a small one any better than a large one?”

Since she found them equally tasty, I picked a large one, as I was paying by the squash rather than by the pound.

The squash sat in my refrigerator for a few weeks till I had the nerve to try cutting it. I was afraid it would be as tough as a spaghetti squash, which is really tough; I knew that because I had tried cooking one once. Still, I had no idea what I was doing with my butternut squash and had to research whether I was to peel this veggie or not.

This truly orange pureed soup boasts an astounding mix of flavors, blending tart and sweet. It is worth the time required to peel and dice a number of vegetables.

Just a note before you begin. To prepare the butternut squash: First, cut off the bottom and top. Then, using a potato peeler, remove all of the outer skin. Slice in half, removing seeds and the matting around the seeds. When dicing, place flat area on cutting board to prevent slipping.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, chopped (use the white and light green areas; the rest can be sautéed for another recipe)
1 large onion, diced
2 generous cups peeled, diced butternut squash
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced parsnips
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced very thinly
1 quart gluten-free chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream (do not substitute milk in this recipe; almond milk can be used to be dairy-free)
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Green onion, sliced (garnish at table)

Melt butter over low heat; sauté chopped leeks and onion for about 10 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add squash, carrots, parsnips, apple, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before pureeing in a blender, in batches. Do not skip this step; soup must be pureed. Return to pot, adding cream, wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with sliced green onion after serving. Yield: 8 servings. Freezes well.

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Once the soup was boiling, I returned to the remaining half of the squash. I wasn’t about to waste it, so I diced it and put it in a 9” square baking dish, dotted it with 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 3/4 cup raisins, and 1/2 cup water.  I baked it in a 350 degree oven covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes and then uncovered for about 35 more minutes.

I now have two great butternut squash recipes.

So, when you’re at the farmers’ market or the grocery store, take a healthy risk, and pick up a butternut squash. Maybe you’ll devise a recipe of your own.

Note: To bake a butternut squash whole, just scrub and place in a baking dish at 350 degrees for about one hour, depending upon the size of the squash. Check for doneness by piercing with a knife. When cooked, cut in half, remove seeds and matting around seeds, and mash the remaining pulp with butter.