Savory Corn Pancakes with Pepper Relish

Ingredients:

Kernels from 4 ears of corn
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fine stone-ground corn meal
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Butter for frying
Pepper Relish (recipe follows)
Sour Cream

Pepper Relish:
1 ripe tomato
4-6 mini sweet peppers, seeded and diced fine
2 scallions, including half of the greens, sliced thin
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Dash of vinegar

Instructions:

Puree 1/2 cup of the kernels in a blender with the buttermilk for about 1 minute. Add the oil, eggs, and salt. Blend until smooth, then transfer to a bowl and whisk in the dry ingredients, stirring until just blended. Fold in the remaining corn kernels.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Melt a little butter in a nonstick skillet. When it bubbles, pour in the batter (1/4 cup batter yields a 5-inch cake). Cook over medium-high heat until covered with holes, then turn and cook until the second side is set, about 1 minute. Hold cakes in the warm oven while you finish cooking the batter.

Serve 2 or 3 pancakes per plate with a dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of the relish on each.

Combine the tomatoes, peppers, scallions, and herbs in a small bowl. Season with a few pinches of salt, a little pepper, and a dash of vinegar. Taste and correct the seasonings, if needed.

Make 15 five-inch pancakes.

Adapted from recipe by Deborah Madison in Kitchen Gardener Magazine.