An Evening with Kathleen and Tom

We spent an absolutely delightful evening with Kathleen and Tom.  Kathleen and I worked together at Health Net; in fact she recruited me back in 2003 for my analyst position there.  So I consider her a very special person indeed.

We walked over and immediately heard the great news:  Tom had landed a new position with Discovery Credit Card Company!  Tom is one of the few experts in this country on the use of chips on credit cards.  He acquired this skill working in Belgium for many years.  While it is great to have a job that will make maximum use of his expertise, the job alas is in Chicago.  So it will be back to split living for awhile for them but they will make full use of vacations to explore Chicago and the midwest.

They are fabulous hosts and we feasted on Kathleen's Zucchini Pancakes, quinoa and vegetables, bread with soft cheese, green salad, and chocolate pots-de-creme.   They are all decorated for Christmas so indeed it was a magical evening.

Here is the recipe for Kathleen's Zucchini Pancakes:

1 pound zucchini, trimmed, coarsely grated
2 cups chopped green onions
4 eggs, beaten to blend
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried dillweed
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (about 3 ounces)

olive oil

Place zucchini in colander.  Sprinkle zucchini with salt and let stand 30 minutes to drain.   Squeeze zucchini between hands to remove liquid, then squeeze dry in several layers of paper towels.

Combine zucchini, chopped green onions, 4 eggs, flour, chopped dill, parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper in medium bowl.  Mix well.  Fold in crumbled feta cheese.  (Zucchini mixture can be prepared 3 hours ahead.  Cover tightly and refrigerate.  Stir to blend before continuing.)  Fold chopped walnuts into zucchini mixture.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place baking sheet in oven.  Cover bottom of non stick skillet with olive oil.  Heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, drop zucchini mixture into skillet by heaping tablespoons.  Fry until the pancakes are golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer each batch of pancakes to baking sheet in oven to keep warm.  Serve pancakes hot.

Makes about 20 pancakes.