Recipe: Greens and Feta Pancakes
This quick and versatile recipe can be made using any garden green such as silverbeet, rocket or spinach.
Recipe and photography: Catherine Bell, republished from Bounty: Cooking with Vegetables.
We all love pancakes for breakfast or brunch. In our family they are a long weekend tradition. These ones, full of greens, are perfect served as they are with the lemon and mint yoghurt. Or try them with bacon, poached eggs and a fresh tomato, cucumber and mint salsa. They can also be made as mini pancakes and served as a canape with a dollop of the lemon and mint yoghurt on top.
Greens and Feta Pancakes
INGREDIENTS
250 g mixed green leaves such as rocket, spinach, small silver beet or rainbow chard leaves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6 spring onions
1 medium green chilli
3/4 cup (110g) self-raising flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 egg. plus 1 egg white
50 g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra, softened, for cooking
150 ml milk
100 g crumbly feta cheese
lemon wedges and mint leaves to garnish
Lemon and mint yoghurt:
1 cup (250ml) plain unsweetened yoghurt
1 small clove garlic
8 mint leaves, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt
METHOD
Wash the leaves well. Remove any tough stems from the larger leaves of the spinach and, if using silverbeet or chard, strip the leaf from the stem completely. Shake the leaves to remove some of the water.
Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat and add the leaves and a teaspoon of salt. Turn until they wilt using tongs, then tip into a colander over the sink to cool. Once cool, use your hands squeeze as much liquid from the leaves as possible. Finely chop and set aside.
Trim and finely chop the spring onion. Halve the chilli lengthways, discard the seeds and finely chop. For the lemon and mint yoghurt, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 50°C and place a platter inside to warm.
Sift the flour, baking powder and cumin into a large bowl. Lightly whisk the egg in a bowl and add the melted butter and milk. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk quickly to form a smooth batter. Add the spring onions, chilli, crumbled feta and chopped leaves. Season with pepper (the feta should add enough salt) and mix to combine.
Beat the egg white till soft peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold one large spoonful into the batter to loosen the mixture, then fold in the rest.
Place a large shallow frying pan over medium heat and brush the base with softened butter. Drop two heaped tablespoons of batter onto the hot surface and spread to form a round about 8 cm across. Repeat until you have filled the pan, taking care to leave room between each pancake. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface, then turn and cook for a further 2 minutes or until golden. As each pancake is made slide it onto the platter in the oven. Brush the pan with more softened butter before cooking the next batch.
Stack 2 pancakes on each plate, scatter with mint leaves and serve with the lemon and mint yoghurt and lemon wedges.
Serves 4
Bounty – Cooking with Vegetables, is available to order online and in bookstores for RRP $39.95, with 100 percent of sales proceeds going directly to the Garden to Table Trust.
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