Cornmeal Pancake with Corn Salsa

Savory cornmeal cheddar pancakes make the perfect edible base for sweet and zesty corn salsa. Kids will have fun whisking the buttermilk batter together and decorating their finished pancake with spoonfuls of corn salsa and dabs of sour cream. This recipe comes to us from Pallavi of Veggie Zest.

Ages 8-11

Serves 8

For the Cornmeal Pancakes:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 jalapeno*, de-seeded and finely chopped
• canola oil for cooking

For the Corn Salsa:

• 2-3 ears fresh sweet corn
• or
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 jalapeno*
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 medium red onion
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 lemon
• salt, to taste
• sour cream, for garnish

*Optional

To make the Cornmeal Pancakes:

Kid: Soak the cornmeal in 1/4 cup warm water for 1 hour.

Together: Combine the flour, salt and baking powder together in a separate medium bowl. Whisk together to mix well. When the cornmeal has soaked for 1 hour, add the buttermilk and mix well. Add the flour baking powder mixture to the cornmeal mixture and mix until it forms batter like consistency. Add cheese and jalapeno, if using.

Adult: Prepare a griddle or skillet with a light layer over canola oil over medium-low heat. Make pancakes with approximately 1/4 cup batter per pancake and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Repeat until you are out of batter and set the pancakes aside.

To Complete the Cornmeal Pancakes with Corn Salsa:

Kid: Husk the ears of corn, if using fresh. Juice the lemon and transfer to a large mixing bowl, taking care to remove any lemon seeds.

Adult: If using fresh corn, cut each ear in half. Carefully cut the corn off the ears with a knife over the large bowl. Discard any threads that have landed up in the bowl. Finely chop the bell pepper, red onion, cilantro and jalapeño if using, adding all ingredients to the large bowl as you prepare them. Toss well and season with salt to taste.

Kid: Place each pancake on a plate and decorate with a generous dollop of sour cream. Top with corn salsa and enjoy.