Bocoles
I have a lot of cookbooks. Occasionally I forget about some entirely, and finding them is like getting a new cookbook all over again. It's fun, in an early onset memory loss kind of way. Such was the case with a book called Heaven's Banquet by Miriam Kasin Hospodar. I picked it up at a bargain bookstore many, many moons ago, and haven't made anything from it since. I pulled it out last night for some bedtime reading (yes, I am a freak) and wondered what took me so long. I marked off a few to try right away.
This was the first - Bocoles, or Fresh Corn Pancakes. Super simple, but I'm a sucker for anything corn-related. The ingredients are very minimal: corn kernels, cornmeal, chickpea flour, margarine/oil, and salt. The liquid is just water, and I pan-friend them in a bit of Earth Balance because pretty much anything jumps a few notches on the scale of One to Awesome with the addition of a delicious Earth Balancey crust. I liked them a lot, especially eaten in the same bite as the carmelized tomatoes from the green beans. I think they'd be really good with a black bean and mango salsa as well. It's on my list of things to try soon.
Bocoles (Fresh Corn Pancakes
from Heaven's Banquet by Miriam Kasin Hospodar
3 c corn kernels (I used a mix of fresh and frozen)
1/2 c cornmeal
2 Tbsp chickpea flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp to 2 Tbsp melted margarine or oil (optional)
water
2 tsp to 2 Tbsp margarine or oil for frying (optional)
Blend corn, cornmeal, chickpea flour, salt, and optional margarine/oil in a food processor, adding just enough water to make a thick batter.
Heat margarine or oil, if using, in a skillet over medium heat. Spoon the batter into the pan, spreading it out a bit. Let the bottom cook until it's golden brown and firm before flipping, otherwise they'll fall apart. Cook until browned on the other side and then eat as soon as possible.
As far as size and servings go, the book says to make 2'' pancakes. I obviously made mine bigger, probably 4-5''. I halved the recipe and got 3 pancakes of this size. That served me well for lunch, but maybe I'm just a glutton and other people would only eat one. In any case, I'm saying that the recipe serves 2-4 depending on the size of the pancakes and the size of your appetite. Also, I left the margarine/oil out of the batter, and just used 1 tsp of Earth Balance to fry half the batch. I didn't find them lacking in any way, so I probably won't add include it in the future either.
I didn't actually work out the nutritional info for these, because I just enter the ingredients separately (based on what portion of the recipe I eat) since there's so few of them.
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Wow, great presentation. Beautiful looking and atop such a pretty plate and tablecloth. This is the kind of meal that would be so enjoyable to eat, at least for me. Yummy food, healthy food, and served stylishly. Fantastic that you found the "old/new" cookbook. I do the same thing!
Posted by
KleoPatra |
2:21 AM
I'm so jealous of you having cookbooks you don't even remember! I own no vegan cookbooks and only two very old vegetarian cookbooks picked up at garage sales which mainly consist of cheese, milk and heavy cream. Not very adaptable.
Another great photo! Oh, and corn is the best in any way (although fresh off the cob really does it for me!).
Posted by
Freedom |
3:42 AM
I see the food porn studio is rockin' full force today. Very nice! I have some cookbooks like that. I should poke around on my bookshelf and see what I can come up with. I'm like you with corn. Pretty much anything that has a corn-type substance in it must be good.
Posted by
Carrie™ |
6:33 AM
I love the way you plated them, so fancy! They look delicious!
Posted by
jenny |
9:19 AM
kleo - Thanks! That tablecloth is actually my bedsheet, though. I wasn't lying when I said my food porn studio is lacking! But you use what you've got. :) I agree, the way food is presented makes a difference. When I'm cooking for myself I usually don't bother, but this was easy to make look nice.
freedom - Old vegetarian cookbooks scare me a little. They have very strange recipes in them. At last count I had upwards of 30 vegan/vegetarian cookbooks, I think. It's kind of an unhealthy obsession. I haven't gotten any new ones in a while due to being somewhat strapped for cash, but there are so many that I want. Soon!
Fresh corn is the best thing ever. I really want to make the VwaV corn chowder with fresh corn.
carrie - Corn can do no wrong, really. :) I love discovering forgotten cookbooks... unless of course the reason you forgot them is because they suck. I have a few like that as well, unfortunately.
jenny - Thanks! :)
Posted by
Amanda |
11:49 AM
It's a pancake kind of week for you! This look so yum! I have used a VwaV recipe for corn fritters. Sometimes I add cilantro and black beans right into the batter....it tastes really good. I also LOVE green beans.
Another great photo too!
Posted by
Anonymous |
12:34 PM
Thanks! It is a pancake sort of week here. :) I've been wanting to try those corn fritters, but I never have silken tofu on hand.
Posted by
Amanda |
1:15 PM
I love super simple recipes like that. 30+ cookbooks, that’s amazing! I move too often to amass that many books about anything. It’s been way too long since I’ve made the VwaV corn chowder, maybe I’ll have it tonight. Or some chana masala. Either way I am making myself do a yoga session before dinner because I was bad and skipped class this week. I’ve been really bad about the whole healthy eating thing over the past few days too, I need to cook more. Sometimes the healthy living battle is temporarily lost to my own laziness, so sad.
Posted by
Shananigans |
3:52 PM
I totally read cookbooks before bed too! On a very regular basis. Isn't it great to NOT feel like a freak when surrounded by like-minded people? I've been meaning to get Heaven's Banquest, actually.
Posted by
Merce |
5:42 PM
shananigans - Yeah, my own laziness gets me into trouble a lot on that front. I find that as long as I keep my fridge stocked with fruit and baby carrots I default to eating that mostly. Pretty much the only thing I like about summer is that I can have watermelon all the time.
ms. mercedes - It is! That's one of the reasons I love the interweb so much - everything that makes me weird around here has its own online community. :) So far Heaven's Banquet seems like a good buy. It's not vegan, but it is eggless, and everything else is a snap to replace.
Posted by
Amanda |
6:25 PM
I got mine at the Indian grocery on Fruitville Pike. I think Rhubarb's carries it as well, though.
Posted by
Amanda |
10:22 PM
Delicious. I love reading cookbooks before bed. They are the ultimate storytime pleasure. When I have kids I'll read them recipes, too. When they've been really good they'll get dessert recipes read to them. Mmm... desserts.
Posted by
Kris |
12:51 AM
Ha! Okay kids, if you're really, really good, Mommy will read you a nice german chocolate cake at bedtime. :) That's so cute.
Posted by
Amanda |
9:45 AM