Back when we were dating, the hubby came back from a trip to London raving about Piri Piri sauce. Pronounced Pee-ree Pee-ree, it is actually the African bird’s eye pepper. It was used by Portuguese settlers who found it while exploring in Mozambique and fell in love with it as we have. A few ethnic markets near us started carrying Piri Piri hot sauce from time to time and we would stock up whenever we saw it. Once I tasted it, I realized what all the hullabaloo was about! The flavor in that stuff is off the charts! It is not your typical hot sauce. Now I pour it on eggs, veggies, and everything in between.
I met some friends for brunch this past weekend and somehow Piri Piri sauce came up. We were talking about all the things you could do with it. I don’t know why we were talking about food while stuffing our faces, but I feel like I’m always talking about food! When I got home I remembered that I had picked up a bottle of Piri Piri spice blend from the Savory Spice Shop in San Diego. I believe you can order online from them as well. I also had a ton of zucchini in the fridge and was thinking I would make a frittata or maybe a crustless quiche this week. Smaller versions of things always seem more appealing, so I decided on zucchini pancakes.
Now, how do I incorporate the Piri Piri spice and trick my husband into eating a whole lotta zucchini?? There’s a recipe for making hot sauce on the bottle but I wanted something creamy. Plus, I already have a bottle of the hot sauce in the fridge. Aoli sounded perfect! A little mayo, a little olive oil, some of the Piri Piri Spice, and done. My husband had seconds! The kids opted for ketchup as the Piri Piri aoli has a little kick to it. If you’re worried about too much heat, I would recommend adding half the amount of Piri Piri spice and then tasting it to see if you want to add more or not.
Ingredients
Zucchini Pancakes
2 eggs
1 lb zucchini, grated
1/2 cup almond flour
3 Tbs amaranth flour
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
Cooking oil
For the Piri Piri Aoli
3 Tbs mayo
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp Piri Piri seasoning
Method
Pat the grated zucchini down with a paper towel, or two in needed to help reduce moisture. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the eggs then add the remaining ingredients for the zucchini pancakes. Blend together with a fork until combined. Heat about one tsp oil in a large frying pan on medium/high heat. With a large eating spoon, place a scoop in the pan and flatten the zucchini with the spoon if needed so it takes on more of a round shape. Repeat until the pan is full, leaving a little space between each pancake. Cook until both sides are browned, around 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and repeat until all the mixture has been made.
In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the aoli together. Mix it well, and pour right on top of your zucchini pancakes or on the side. If there is any aoli leftover, it keeps well and tastes great on everything. I put some on my eggs and toast today!