Recipe(tried): Yummy Casual Dinner of Leftover Ham, Zucchini Pancakes, and Roasted Tomato Soup

Last night for dinner I tried a couple of recipes I have been meaning to try and they turned out great!

I could eat a whole plate of these zuke pancakes by myself!

I sliced the ham and put it on a plate in the microwave, ready to zap later.

Then I started the soup, and while it simmered, I cooked the zucchini pancakes.

I actually used zucchini and tomatoes from my garden. This was the last of the tomatoes; zukes just keep on coming! so I am doing my best to keep up with them!

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ROASTED TOMATO SOUP
(this was so good I will never have it any other way!)

8 or 10 plum tomatoes, stems trimmed, halved
1 onion cut into chunks
4 or 5 garlic cloves
olive oil
about a quart of turkey stock (you can use chicken, or whatever..I had turkey stock homemade on hand)

Put a light coat of olive oil on a baking sheet (I actually used the bottom part of my broiler pan). Toss in all the veggies, drizzle with oil, and give a good stir. Broil them for 20 minutes (I did not preheat the broiler), stirring a couple times while in process.

Chuck the whole veggie mess into your soup pot with the stock. Season to taste (I used a few shakes of Worchester hire sauce, a sprinkle of sea salt, and some freshly ground pepper). Bring to a boil, and then down to a simmer.

After a few minutes of simmering, it is done. Blend it all together (toss it into the blender, or use an immersion blender). Sublime!

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ZUCCHINI PANCAKES

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
coarse sea salt
1/4 onion, slivered
3 hot Thai peppers (ok, this was really spicy...you can leave these out, use less, or replace with a bit of finely diced bell pepper, any colour...your choice)
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Layer grated zucchini with sea salt in a colander. Let drain for at least 20 minutes. Squeeze through all the moisture that you can; the drier the better.

Add all other ingredients. Give a good stir to blend well.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased grill-or-frypan (I used a good spritz of olive oil spray). Make sure your pan is good and hot before you start. Brown each side well (flip after a couple of minutes.

Serve while they are nice and hot! Serve with a little wee bit of sour cream on each one...the contrast of cold/hot and spicy/creamy was wonderful!

I hope you like them! I said, well (after they disappeared all too rapidly), I guess I will double the batch next time! My younger son said..."better triple it, just to be safe"! So, they were that good!

Cheers!

Carolyn!