Zucchini-Cheddar-Jalapeno Skillet Biscuits with Pancetta

Mmmmm. Is there anything more delicious than a homemade biscuit, still warm, straight from the skillet?

With the glorious summer thunderstorms we’ve been having in Park City, the temperature has dropped enough to accept having the oven on in the morning. I spied a recipe for zucchini biscuits and thought, why stop with zucchini? I grabbed some breakfast-y meat (pancetta), a jalapeno, cheddar cheese, some spices…and the result was pretty scrumptious.

I started with the cast iron skillet. Like I did with these goat cheese-dill biscuits, I heated the skillet in a hot oven while I made the dough. First up: browning the pancetta. (There was another interested party in the pancetta process.)

With the salty, crispy pancetta set aside, I prepped the other fillings. I grated zucchini and cheddar cheese, and chopped up a whole jalapeno (seeds and all). We like it hot!

Next I mixed the dry ingredients. Flour, a little dried basil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. I pulled the butter out of the fridge at the last minute. When you make biscuits, the little chunks of butter in the dough melt in the oven, leaving air pockets in the dough and making the biscuits light and flaky. Cold butter is important. I used two forks to cut the butter into the flour.

It was about now that I realized I’d forgotten the baking powder; it should be sifted in with the dry ingredients. Next, I added the zucchini, cheddar cheese, the pancetta, and jalapeno and gave the mixture a good stir before pouring in a cup of buttermilk. The dough is sticky and full of delicious chunks of flavor!

I pulled the hot cast iron skillet from the oven and swirled a tablespoon of butter in the bottom. Then I dropped mounts of biscuit dough into the hot pan- you can hear a sizzle! By heating the pan ahead of time, the biscuits bake from both the top and the bottom. When they come out of the oven, they should have a nice browned topping. I love that you can see the bits of yumminess in them!

These biscuits would be delicious on the side of a bowl of soup or plate of light pasta. You could eat it on its own, sliced in half and toasted with a little bit of butter (I did that). For this brunch, we added a fried egg- with the cheese, pancetta, and spice from the jalapeno, our breakfast sandwiches were perfect without adding a thing. Look at this perfection!

After the first bite, I decided to freeze most of the biscuits right after breakfast. Otherwise, I’d eat them all.

(You’ve been warned.)

Zucchini-Cheddar-Jalapeno Skillet Biscuits with Pancetta

You’ll need:

• A cast iron skillet
• 2 cups flour
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• Teaspoon of salt
• Tablespoon of baking powder
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes, plus an extra tablespoon for the skillet
• 6 ounces of pancetta, browned
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 ½ cups grated summer zucchini (most of the liquid squeezed out)
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• I cup buttermilk

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the skillet in the oven to heat.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, basil garlic powder, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Cut in the cubes of butter using a pastry cutter or two forks until the butter chunks are half the size of a pea. Stir in the shredded cheddar, jalapeno, zucchini, and pancetta. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine.

Pull the skillet from the oven and swirl a tablespoon of butter in the bottom. Drop generous spoonfuls of biscuit dough into the skillet (I managed to get 8 biscuits in there). Bake in the oven for 18-22 minutes, until the tops of the biscuits are deep brown and they no longer appear doughy. Serve on the side of a bowl of chili, or with a fried egg in the middle, or just eat it on its own. Hide any leftover biscuits from yourself as soon as possible. YUM!

Hungry for more? Take a look at the collection of recipes on the FOOD BLISS page. 

One year ago: A hot/sweet marinade that works with everything.