Post Furlough/Student Food - Pancakes, not just for Pancake Day

Today is Pancake Day in the UK.  For those that don't know it is also known as Shrove Tuesday and for Christians in the UK it is 41 days before Easter Sunday and traditionally it is when all the things that are banned during Lent are eaten up to allow for 41 days of fasting starting with Ash Wednesday (tomorrow).

Whilst Lent has become a time to try and give up a little luxury (chocolate usually being the meme...) pancakes are a cheap way of using up small amounts of fillings as the pancake itself makes up most of the meal.  Contrary to popular belief you do not need to use a pancake mix- mum I'm talking to you here- as it is just a mixture of plain flour, egg and milk whisked together with a balloon whisk.  Depending on how thick or thin you like them they have a greater or lesser amount of milk.

Since pancakes can be sweet or savoury they are the ultimate buffet food in our house where we prepare several "toppings" and then cook the pancakes to order.  My youngest son likes his American style, thick and fluffy - this is a simple ratio of 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1 egg, drizzle ladlefuls into the pan (about the diameter of a fried egg) and then serve with crispy bacon for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Any leftover mixture can be cooked and the resultant pancakes reheated in the microwave (about 20 seconds on HIGH).  

Add more milk to this ratio and you get crepe style pancakes that are thin and cover the whole pan.  These are the type of pancakes that British people think of automatically and since they are thin they can be rolled around a small portion of filling.  Leftover spag bol sauce, chilli or curry are not traditional but it is a good way of making a filling meal for one from something that is not even lunch sized.

Pancakes can also be used to replace lasagne sheets and actually work out cheaper than the pasta - a good substitute for when I have already started the ragu sauce only to discover my older son has raided the cupboard (he likes to eat raw pasta - Autism is a peculiar thing...), so think of your favourite lasagne recipe and use that as inspiration, either stack, overlap and layer or roll your pancake round your chosen filling and then decide to leave plain, sprinkle with cheese or add a sauce on top. Pancakes can even be cooked and frozen in advance, filled or unfilled depending on the filling.

Given how versatile they are pancakes deserve more than a once-a-year outing.

Bog Standard British Pancakes - enough for 4 people to eat now or 1 to eat and freeze the rest for another day

200 g plain flour

2 eggs

350 ml milk

pinch of salt

Bung it all in a bowl.  Give it a whisk with a balloon whisk to get rid of the lumps.  Leave to stand if you need to, it won't hurt.

Heat a frying pan to hot.  Add a spritz of oil. Using a ladle pour in some batter and tip the pan so the batter runs over the surface.  Leave to cook on the first side until it looks dry.  Using a fish slice sneak a peek underneath - it should be golden brown.  Flip (if you are a coward just use the fish slice!). Cook the second side for about 20 seconds and then slide out of the pan.  Onto the next until you have enough or all the mixture is used up.  How many you get depends on how big your pan is and how much batter you pour in, using a ladle (I fill it up halfway for one pancake) means that the amount of batter is consistent and therefore the pancakes are a more even size.  The reason the first one is traditionally the worst one is because the pan should be hot.

Ideas of fillings/toppings accompaniments

Sweet

lemon juice and sugar

golden syrup

chocolate sauce

banana and chocolate sauce

ice cream - any flavour

Fresh or frozen fruit

Jam

peanut butter

you get the idea.....

Savoury

Let the leftovers be unleashed...

Bacon (had to be there for DS2...)

Cheese and tomato - either fresh or tinned, if tinned heat them up first

Ratatouille

Spag bol sauce/ragu - sprinkle top with cheese once rolled up 

Left over chilli - sprinkle top with cheese once rolled up

Chopped leftover sausage and baked beans - sprinkle top with cheese once rolled up

Ham and cheese

Ham, spinach and poached egg

Stir fry veggies (or veggies and meat) and black bean sauce or plum sauce

Bombay potatoes

Dhal - with our without raita

Refried beans and cheese - add avocado or salsa if you have it

Chicken and bacon  or chicken and mushroom in a cheese sauce

Tuna and sweetcorn in a white sauce

Don't forget fish, I used to know someone who swore by mushy peas and fish fingers as a filling.... not one for me...

use your favourite lasagne recipe and use the pancake instead of the lasagne

use your favourite wrap recipe and use the pancake instead of the wrap - but be gentle and use a knife and fork to eat it!

use your favourite burrito/quesadilla/fajita/enchiladas recipe and use instead of the flour tortilla- but be gentle and use a knife and fork to eat it!