Savoury Pancakes

This weekend was great. It was the first time I actually bought my fruit and veg from a farmers market. Great may seem like an over exaggeration because obviously I realise people do this all the time; fresher produce, bargain prices (although you do have to buy in bulk to get the best of these), someone really enthusiastic about carrots and turnips that is extremely high spirited considering they’ve been standing in the cold for hours... Are just some of the reasons people choose to shop at their local farmers market. However, for me it was a new experience, I went to the market on a whim, something to do on a Saturday afternoon (I mean the supermarket is just so much more convenient as a place to shop). And the guarantee of an excellent lunch, thanks to the endless food stands at Borough Market, was also an unashamedly major factor! But the market offered so much more; I was charmed. Who would have thought muddy green tomatoes and freakishly long spring onions could be so inviting? But they were. Maybe it was the abundance appealing to my gluttony, or the array of colours in every direction making me feel like a kid in a sweetshop. Either way, shopping in a farmers market is a hundred times more fun than a supermarket. What’s more I wound up buying things I don’t usually find in my supermarket basket, ingredients that never really appealed to me before. I anticipate a creative week ahead trying new recipes, or old ones with new ingredients. And those of which are successes are sure to end up here on my blog!

A primary feature of any great weekend has to be a great meal and I think savoury pancakes could easily fit the bill. A late Saturday brunch, lunch with friends, a starter or light main course; this dish can be whatever you want to make of it. As an added bonus, should you have any pancakes left over, you have the perfect dessert waiting in the wings!

Savoury Pancakes (serves 4)

For the pancakes:-
I use my Mum's egg-less recipe, and like all Mums she doesn't measure a thing! So I have attempted a conversion into metric terms, but a little adjustment may be required to get the pouring consistency (that is adjusting the flour or milk content).
1 bowl self raising flour (about 450g)
3/4 glass of cold milk (about 350 millilitres)
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the filling:-
250g mushrooms (chestnut are my favourite, but whichever take your fancy are fine), cut into thin slices
100g fresh spinach, roughly chopped with any tough stalks removed
1 medium white onion, cut into thin slices
100g soft goats cheese
1 tsp of fresh thyme

For the bechamel:-
40g butter
20g  plain flour 
425 ml milk 
a pinch of nutmeg

Start by making the pancakes. Combine all the ingredients and whisk well until it forms a liquid mixture without any lumps. If the mixture is too thick add a splash more milk (and  if too runny add more flour). You are looking for the consistency of thick soup. (Admittedly, this is quite vague, but once you get making the pancakes you will know if your mixture is the right consistency by the way the pancakes turn out.)


Let the mixture rest for at least five minutes. Then get going... melt a knob of butter in a flat frying pan. Ladle in some pancake mix, swirl the pan around so you get a decent sized pancake.  It will take about 50 seconds to cook on the first side, check by loosening one side and peaking underneath. Once there's a bit of colour it's ready to flip. It's up to you which flipping method you use (excuse the pun), but just get the pancake cooked on the other side! 
This mixture should make enough pancakes for the recipe (8). If all doesn't go to plan... you can always cheat a little and get some ready made pancakes. Lucky for me, my flatmate is a faultless pancake flipper! 



 Next make the filling. Sauté the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil. After about five minutes once the onions are softened add the mushrooms and the thyme. Make sure the pan is on a medium heat so that the moisture from the mushrooms does not collect in your pan. Once the mushrooms have shrunk and are almost cooked, fold in the spinach and cheese. Add a good pinch of pepper, don't add any salt at this point as goats cheese is quite salty. Once the spinach has wilted, switch off the heat and let the mixture cool. Check for seasoning at this point, and add salt accordingly (I find it's usually just fine due to the goats cheese, but I might add a squeeze of lemon).




To make the bechamel, simply melt the butter in a stainless steel pan. Add the flour and whisk until the rue turns a golden colour. Add the milk in one go and keep whisking on a medium heat until the sauce thickens. Once thickened (it will take about 5 to 7 minutes) sprinkle in a good pinch of nutmeg.


To assemble, place an eighth of the mushroom filling down the middle of each pancake. Fold over into a wrap and place side by side in a baking dish. Pour the sauce over the pancakes. Sprinkle with some grated cheddar or Gruyère and bake in a pre heated high oven (about 200°C) for 20 minutes.






These pancakes are at their most delicious straight out of the oven, so don't hang about!






Until next time...

Risotto: the unexpected student food.

So it's been a little (by little I mean long, and I apologise for that) while since my last post. Starting university again has kept me busy. And it being my third year, it has been busier than ever. However, every student knows, working hard and playing hard requires fuel, and there is only so much pesto pasta one can tolerate. Having said that I do have a brilliant recipe for the ultimate pesto pasta, a jazzed up version of that pesto out of a jar... but I'll save that for a lazy day blog!

This time my focus is on risotto. Risotto doesn't exactly have the easy student food reputation, more like the posh dinner that the parents have got covered. But believe it or not, I think risotto is the perfect student grub and I think I make a pretty good case as to why...
1. Risotto is a vehicle for flavour - you can add literally whatever you like/ have hanging about your fridge.
2. Risotto is really really filling. It is fuel for economizers, that is, a little goes a long way.
3. It's a store cupboard ingredient. Buy it, keep it in the cupboard, and it will stay there, mould free, for an age.
4. Leftovers can be rustled up into the most delicious Italian snack (or meal, depending on how much you've got left over) where you really don't feel like you are eating yesterdays food. (As shown below)

So for my first meal, when I moved back into my student flat at the end of summer, I made this risotto:

And all you need is:

1 or 2 shallots (or an onion/a few spring onions), chopped finely

1 and 1/2 handfuls of arborio risotto rice per person

about 1 pint vegetable stock per person

1 handful of vegetables per person - I used mushrooms, but courgettes, sweet peppers, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, seafood (basically anything will do)

a couple of tbsp of butter

a handful of parmesan cheese 

1 handful of fresh herbs, chopped finely

a glass of dry white wine (optional), if you don't have this squeeze a little lemon, or a dash of white wine vinegar as a substitute

Start by sweating the shallots gently in a wide based, shallow pan. Cook until they are translucent. Then stir in the rice with the buttery shallots, ensuring each grain is coated. At this point, splash in your wine, or whichever substitute you are using. Cook on a medium heat. Once the wine is totally absorbed, add in your vegetables if they are raw. If the vegetables you are using are already cooked then do not add them yet, save them until  the end, once the rice is cooked.

Now pour in a ladle or two of the stock, stir in gently, but there is no need to keep stirring constantly (as most recipes instruct). Just make sure you are cooking on a medium heat. Once the stock is absorbed, add in a couple more ladles. Keep repeating this process until all the stock is absorbed, this should take about twenty minutes. If you finish all the stock but the rice is still not cooked, just add some boiling water. 

Once the rice is cooked, stir in your fresh herbs, cheese and a knob of butter. Check for seasoning (in this recipe it is best to season at the end, because the stock and cheese will both contribute to the salt content), just add to taste.

At that's it, it is ready to serve!

Now for the leftovers. 

This is a dish I fell in love with on my last day in Rome this summer: Arancini, my last taste of Italy before I got on the plane back home to London. It basically a risotto ball, coated in crispy breadcrumbs. Crispy on the outside and unctuously smooth on the inside. Perfection! 

That's the Italian version... and here's mine:

To make these, all you need is some leftover risotto, breadcrumbs (I just bought mine from the supermarket) and some olive oil. 

Simply use your hands to mould the cold risotto into balls. Roll each ball in breadcrumbs, making sure they are fully and generously coated. Heat enough olive oil in a medium to shallow frying pan, so that each arancini is about an inch deep in the oil. Make sure the oil is not too hot, you will know when the oil is ready when you drop a breadcrumb in, it will sizzle and turn golden within a minute. 
You are just looking for the outside of the arancini to turn golden brown and crispy, as inside the risotto is already cooked. Once, they're done, drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately, arancini are best enjoyed warm.

So there you have it, risotto. The unexpected student staple. 


Until next time...