Savoury Squash Pancakes with Lime-Basil Pesto

Happy Hallowe’en!

And since it is that festive day, it’s time to cook up that pumpkin. No, not the one you put on your porch, but a buttercup, a an acorn, a kabocha, a delicata, or the classic butternup. The easy way to deal with it is to slice the whole thing in half and roast it cut side-down on a baking sheet, after scraping out the seeds and stringy bits. Then you either eat the soft, warm insides just as they are, maybe with a little soy sauce and miso (optional honey, sesame oil, and freshly grated ginger if you’re going deluxe), or you find another recipe calling for canned pumpkin and replace the can with the fresh stuff.

OR, if you were gifted a 5 lb butternut from the Atwater Market, you figure out five things to do with it…

After eating my fill with the aforementioned miso, I moved on to theme savoury squash pancakes with lime-basil pesto. Two birds, one stone since I had a ton of basil left from my garden. Lemon works in a pinch, but lime makes it more floral. Freshly squeezed or bottled. I won’t tell.

Savoury Squash Pancakes with Lime-Basil Pesto

2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth, or water
2 cups cooked pumpkin (either cooled overnight or drained to remove excess water)
pinch guar gum
2 cups lentil or rice flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds, optional
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup cilantro, stems minced, leaves finely chopped
1 hot red chili pepper, minced, optional

Lime-Basil Pesto
2 cups fresh basil
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt or 1 tsp miso (miso can be a strange flavour but it’s helpful for digesting the lentil flour)

Combine soy sauce, lime juice, broth and pumpkin in a blender or food processor. Blend until combined. It doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth. Pour into a bowl and stir in remaining pancake ingredients. Add more broth or water if the batter is too dry and doesn’t come together. It should be stiffer than pancakes, but still sticky.

Drop by the half cup onto a hot, oiled griddle over medium heat. Press down to spread gently. They shouldn’t be more than 1/2″ thick or they won’t cook through in the middle. Cook 3 minutes or until brown on the bottom. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from griddle and keep warm. Increase heat to medium and repeat process for a second batch.

Meanwhile make the pesto by rinsing out the blender and then combining the pesto ingredients and blending to a paste. Taste and adjust seasonings (I added some chili sauce for heat, but you could add more lime or miso or soy sauce).

Serve pancakes with pesto on the side.

Happy Hallowe’en!