Zucchini Cakes Smothered In Blue Cheese Dressing With Pork Spare Ribs

I've been seeing quite a few foodies making the zucchini cakes lately, which has had my mouth watering for them. So, I finally took the plunge and decided to make them last weekend and serve them with our barbecued spare ribs. I had also recently seen a recipe for homemade blue cheese dressing over at Noble Pig's website and knew I had to try it. I knew it would be addictive and totally fabulous and it is. So, I decided to smother my zucchini cakes in it and it was the perfect pairing. It didn't matter what the main dish was or even that there was a main dish. It's that's good.




I wish I could get better pictures but the lighting in my kitchen is terrible ever since we began using the government mandated fluorescent light bulbs. I think my refrigerator puts out more light than one of these babies. I hate them and they don't even work in some of my lamps. Originally, we used indoor floodlights in each of the ceiling light pockets, which made my kitchen the brightest room in the house. Thanks to the government sticking their nose in our business, we will all soon have to use these ridiculous light bulbs.




Okay, so I could rant forever about that, but won't. Let's get to the food, shall we?




Zucchini Pancakes:

Ingredients:

4 to 5 medium size zucchini (about 1-1/2 lbs.)

3/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated onion

1/4 teaspoon pepper



Directions:

1. Trim and coarsely shred zucchini (you should have around 5 cups). In a large bowl, toss zucchini with salt. Place zucchini in a colander. Place a plate on top of zucchini and weight it down with cans. Let drain for 15 to 25 minutes. Discard liquid.



2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In the large bowl, beat together the eggs and garlic. Stir in flour, Parmesan cheese, onion and pepper until just combined.



3. For each pancake, spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture onto a lightly oiled griddle or heavy skillet, spreading to form a circle. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. (Reduce heat to medium-low if pancakes brown too quickly.) Keep pancakes warm in the preheated oven while making the remaining pancakes.



4. If desired, serve with sour cream, thick blue cheese dressing, or ranch style dressing.



Blue Cheese Dressing:
Adapted from Noble Pig, who adapted it from Wine Spectator



Ingredients:


2/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk (not low fat)

juice of 1/2 a lemon

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 ounces of blue cheese, crumbled

Kosher or sea salt



Directions:

1. Place the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice and crushed garlic in the bowl of food processor. Add the blue cheese last. Pulse until combined, making sure to keep the mixture slightly chunky. (Alternatively, mix the ingredients in a bowl with wooden spoon or whisk.) Season with Kosher or sea salt, pulsing or stirring gently to maintain the texture. The mixture should be thick but pourable. (Stir in more buttermilk if mixture is too thick.)

2. Spoon the dressing into a pouring vessel and refrigerate one hour and up to 3 days. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.