Savory pancakes
In this cold spring, there is nothing better than a comforting meal.
I returned from the Rialto market with a variety of zucchini, round and long, all from Sant'Erasmo, and some herbs too, which I used to prepare some savory pancakes. Vittorio told me he had never eaten pancakes before, so I thought it was time to fill this gap.
In Italy we don't really have the tradition of pancakes, frittata is a lot more common, and for breakfast we usually have oatmeal or, on special days, other baked goods like croissants or brioche bread with butter and jam.
As for myself, I've always liked pancakes and occasionally make them -in a savory variant- when I'm alone for lunch and want something quick. They remind me of mum and the times she would make them for me when I was a child and stayed at her house at the weekend, as a special treat. During the week I lived in Lido with dad, and on Fridays I would take a motonave and reach mum to spend the weekend with her. The house was located in Calle del Vin and we used to call it 'the pink house', for its pink moquette floor and the floral wall paper. It was a strange house, in liberty style, and we liked it. Thinking of those days makes me smile and feel a little bit nostalgic, in a good way. I was so young and such a good girl... really! And the weekends with mum were always so special: on Saturdays she would always take me to Rosa Salva in Campo San Luca (which used to be where now there is Marchini) and I would always have a tramezzino with prosciutto and eggs followed by a chocolate cream puff, while she opted for 2 tramezzini, usually eggs and asparagus, and in the afternoon we always went to the cinema. Sundays, instead, she would take me out for lunch in fancy places (she was a regular due to her work at Telecom Italia) like Cipriani or Do Forni and then we would visit a museum or similar...
Anyway (please do excuse me and memory lane), going back to our pancakes, allow me say they were really nice. The addition of chopped herbs in the dough added a fresh taste. I used the basic pancake recipe, with whole wheat flour, eggs, milk, baking powder and salt and finally got to try the pancake pan I bought last month!
As for the zucchini, I baked them with oil, garlic, capers, and lemon zests. I also grated half a zucchini and added it to the pancake dough.
When I served the pancakes, I was a bit anxious about Vito's feedback, but -as always- he ate everything!
RECIPE
SAVORY PANCAKES WITH SPRING HERBS AND A GREEN SIDE DISH
yield: 15 pancakes
Ingredients:
- For the pancakes:
200 gr whole wheat flour
250 ml full fat milk
2 eggs
a pinch of salt
1/2 grated zucchini
2 teaspoon baking powder (or soda)
2 teaspoon seed oil (or 2 knobs of butter)
- For the side dish:
6/8 mixed zucchini (round and long)
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon capers
lemon zests to garnish
Directions:
- For the pancakes:
1. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt.
2. Ina separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, add a pinch of salt and the grated zucchini.
3. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture, amalgamate well, cover in plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. When the time has passed, heat a pancake pan, add a few drops of seed oil (or a knob of butter) and with a scoop pour a little bit of the dough onto the pan. When bubbles start to form on the top, turn and cook on the other side for a few minutes. Repeat until you have finished the dough.
- For the side dish:
1. Wash the zucchini, chop roughly and put into the baking pan.
2. Add a few drops of olive oil, the crushed cloves of garlic, the capers, the lemon zests and sbake at 180° for about 25/30 minutes.
3. When ready, serve with your pancakes and enjoy :)
