We all know that pancake day - well, technically Shrove Tuesday - is all about using up things before fasting yourself for that long, long period before Easter (although apparently the Sundays don’t count, or so I discovered last year). I don’t have a religious bone in my body, and the idea of giving things up because someone else says you should just does not sound like fun to me. And whilst ‘fun’ is apparently not the point, it still doesn’t sound like the sort of thing I’m up for. Oh, and it’s not because I don’t have the will power - I really do - I’m just choosing not to use it.

I realise that this whole situation is not designed as a buffet where you can just pick the bits you like the look off; however, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Sod the fasting; bring on the pancakes.

Pancakes are wonderful. Whether thick and fluffy, or translucently thin; savoury or sweet there’s nothing else quite like them. Well there is, but we’re not going to talk about them here. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I love pancakes.

I’ve been at my parents’ around this time over the last couple of years, so my mum’s griddle pan as been used (it’s the slightly stained, old, rarely washed affair that makes brilliant pancakes) but this year I experimented with just using a non-stick frying pan - which was realistically my only option. The things I have learnt from this experiment are thus: it’s not actually ‘non stick’ any more, it’s not as clean as I thought it was, and you really need a flat pan to make pancakes that don’t rip in the middle.

Anyway, less blabbing, more pancaking. Despite my pan problems and an abysmal tester pancake, the main crêpe making went rather well. My two slightly ad hoc recipes were utterly scrumptious and I stuffed myself so full I had to go out and walk some of it off. Below is my recipe for my savoury pancake - which was full of feta, spinach and the caramelised onion chutney that I found in my fridge - its sweet compatriot will follow tomorrow. Perhaps a little late for you to try this pancake day - but what the hell, we can have pancakes whenever we damn well please!

Spinach, Feta and Caramelised Onion Chutney Crêpe

This is an original The Usual Saucepans recipe, however, the crêpe batter recipe is broadly similar to just about every other recipe out there. It will make two decent sized crêpes.

Ingredients

2 medium eggs
100g plain flour
250ml milk
half a pinch of salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
75g feta cheese
2 big handfuls of spinach
2 generous tbsp caramelised onion chutney

Directions

Get your crêpe pan (or whatever you’re using), and put a small cube of butter (20g or less) in it to create the grease layer.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and add in the salt and sugar. Make a well in the centre to which you add the eggs; beat them gently to mix and then start to fold in the flour. Add in the milk slowly, beating until a smooth batter is formed. Set aside for twenty minutes.

Put a separate pan on to a low heat and in it wilt the spinach, slightly melt the chutney and feta. Set aside for use in the crêpe.

Heat up your crêpe cooking pan of choice so it is very hot. Give the batter a little mix. Take a ladle-ful of the batter mix and pour it round the centre of the pan. Roll the pan in a circle to spread the batter out as thinly as possible. Let it cook for a minute or so, until the thickest parts (on a flat pan there shouldn’t be ‘thicker’ parts, but there always are) begin to bubble. loosen the edges of your crêpe using a fish slice and using one swift, fluid movement toss your crêpe and then return to the heat to cook the other side for roughly another minute (slightly less, if it starts to burn).

Transfer to a plate and spoon the spinach and feta mixture in a line down the middle. Roll it up and serve.

Craig Craig (210 Posts)

Edinburgh-dwelling, baking and food-obsessed, twenty-something adventure enthusiast. Runs on liberal amounts of coffee, cheese, cake and gin; bribable with same.


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