Pea Pancakes with bacon and sour cream

My family will almost never eat vegetables. And when they will eat them, there’s a very short list of which ones they’ll eat. When I first heard about the trend of hiding vegetables in other foods through purees I got all excited, until I read that there’s so few nutrients that way it’s not worth the trouble. Bummer. So now my only hope to get them to eat vegetables is to make it an integral part of the dish, without tasting like an integral part of the dish.

I’ve had a similar recipe to this in my “To Try” recipe binder for so long I have no idea where the original inspiration came from. It included instructions for shelling and blanching peas, which is fine if you have a garden, but otherwise it’s way more work than is worth it. Frozen peas are the greatest invention ever, probably even better than sliced bread. I also upped the pea quantity considerably – like, doubled. I say if you’re going to go for it, go all the way.

Pea Pancakes with bacon and sour cream

1 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 bag frozen peas
1/2 C heavy cream
2 T butter
2 eggs
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
sour cream

Defrost the peas in the microwave. Add half the peas, the cream, and melted butter in a blender. When smooth, add the eggs and pulse until combined. In a large bowl, add the rest of the peas to the dry ingredients, and pour the blender contents on top, stirring gently until folded together.

Cook the bacon in a large pan until crispy, using low heat so you don’t burn it. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels, leaving the grease in the pan. Pour off all but a few tablespoons of the grease, reserving it to add again as necessary when cooking your pancakes. Drop dollops of batter into the pan and cook until golden brown. Flip, and cook the other side.

Serve with sour cream and crumbles of bacon on top.

At first blush the concept of pea pancakes might sound bizarre, but they are totally delicious. Earthy and green and smokey from the bacon fat, I could pound these and still feel somehow healthy. They would make great appetizers too. A little cloud of sour cream and a sprinkle of bacon on a pea pancake plate.