12732 Venezuelan Squash, Potato, and Bacon Pancakes Makes 6 servings Wed Aug 06 07:55:48 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 12:09:21 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12732 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:09:21 GMT Native to the Western Hemisphere, squash has been cultivated in South America for at least the past two thousand years, and nowhere is it cooked with keener imagination and expertise than in Venezuela. These breakfast pancakes, for instance, depend not only on plenty of smoky bacon to add flavor to the bland squash but also on bacon grease for cooking the cakes to the right crispness. Any winter squash can be used, but since butternut's orange flesh seems the sweetest to me, I always look for the relatively large, smooth, yellowish gourds. Ordinary hickory-smoked supermarket bacon is just fine for this dish, so long, that is, as it has enough fat to render adequate drippings.

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  • In a large, heavy skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till almost crisp and drain on paper towels. Strain the bacon fat into a small bowl and reserve.
  • In a large bowl, combine the squash, potatoes, onion, eggs, bacon, and salt and pepper and mix with your hands till well blended. In the same skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat over moderately high heat and tilt the pan back and forth to coat the bottom and sides.
  • Spoon enough of the squash mixture into the pan to form a compact 1-inch-thick pancake, spreading it evenly with a spatula to within 1 inch of the sides of the pan. Cook till the bottom is browned and crisp, about 3 minutes, then invert the pancake onto a plate. Add 1 more tablespoon of bacon fat to the skillet, slide the uncooked side of the pancake into the pan, and cook till the bottom is browned and crisp, about 3 minutes.
  • Transfer the pancake to a platter, keep warm in a low oven, and continue making pancakes with the remaining bacon fat and mixture in the same manner. Serve hot with dollops of sour cream.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com James Villas 50 Main ½ pound sliced streaky bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces

    ]]>     One 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and coarsely grated

    ]]>     2 russet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated

    ]]>     1 medium onion, finely grated

    ]]>     3 large eggs, beaten

    ]]>     Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    ]]>     Sour cream

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