Squash Pancakes with Crispy Sage

Butternut squash pancakes with crispy sage

News reports this past week warn us of significant food price increases in the next year. I don't know how the experts determine the food costs for a family of four and whether they include packaged foods and restaurant meals. It is not hard to understand why this is happening with rising fuel costs, supply chain disruptions and ongoing pandemic-related repercussions. Rising food costs and shortages are nothing new. Canadians, along with people from other nations, adjusted creatively to war-time food rationing in the past century. 

We are very fortunate to live in an area with excellent markets, plenty of grocery stores that offer weekly specials, as well as easy access to local farms. I bought a half bushel of butternut squash last month for less than $10 at the market and we have enjoyed them in a number of recipes. I found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen for winter squash pancakes that looked simple and delicious, and they were! Every recipe on Smitten Kitchen is excellent. I have a lot of sage in the garden and it can be harvested until we have an extended hard freeze. I crisped the sage leaves in browned butter and used them to top the savoury pancakes. We have one "squash-hater" in the household, but these passed her taste test with flying colours. 

A warm 1st Sunday of Advent 2015

Each Advent Sunday we have a simple lunch and light the Advent candles. We make one Christmas treat each week for dessert. This week we had beef goulash soup with noodles for the meat-eaters and braised chickpeas for the others. We all enjoyed the pancakes as a side dish and had Grandma's Lemon Graham Wafer Squares for dessert. 

Squash Pancakes

1. Brown sage leaves in butter in a frying pan until they are crisp. Crumble to leaves and save them in a dish with the browned butter. (I browned about 20 leaves but I have access to a lot of sage)

2. Combine

• 1 cup roasted mashed squash
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk or kefir

Add dry ingredients and mix well:

• 1 cup flour (whole wheat is fine)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste

3. Fry the pancakes in a small amount of butter or oil 

4. Top each pancake with some crispy sage and a little browned butter. Enjoy!!

Grandma's Lemon Graham Wafer Squares (unbaked)

• Add the juice of 2-3 lemons to the contents of 1 tin of sweetened condensed milk. Add a little grated lemon rind for a zestier lemon flavour. The mixture will thicken after it is stirred well.
• Line the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan with graham crackers, breaking them as required to cover the entire area.
• Cover the crackers with half of the lemon-sweetened condensed milk mixture.
• Add another layer of graham crackers and top with remaining lemon-milk mixture
• Add another layer of graham crackers and top with a thin icing made of 1/2 c cup icing sugar, 1/2 tbsp of butter and a little milk. Add food colouring to the icing if desired.

Place the pan in the fridge overnight. Slice in small squares for serving. Store leftovers in the fridge.