Tender and green, this is the perfectly quick weeknight dinner. Makes 8 pancakes.
- 300g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 200ml milk
- 3 eggs
- 50-60g soft herbs, finely chopped (I like a combination of parsley and dill with a bit of mint and sage. But anything works. Try coriander, tarragon, chervil, chives. Whatever you like – or have guiltily wilting in the back of the fridge)
- 100g mature cheddar cheese, grated
- 100g baby spinach
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp veg oil
- Chop the spinach and pop in a sieve. Boil the kettle and pour the boiling water over the spinach to wilt it. Then press out as much of the liquid as possible
- Dump all the ingredients except the oil (but including the spinach) into a bowl and whisk gently until just combined. If it’s too stuff, just add a little more milk but take care not to over-beat it or it’ll be chewy when you cook it
- Turn the oven on to 50-70C to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat
- Use a serving spoon to scoop 3 scoops of batter separately into the pan to make 3 small pancakes. The edges should sizzle!
- Leave for 3-4 mins until golden brown on the bottom and puffy on top, then flip it and give it a couple of mins on the other side
- Pop the cooked pancakes into the warm oven, then add another tbsp oil to the pan and repeat the process
- Keep going until all the batter is used up and then serve while still warm
- Change up with different herbs, different cheeses, whatever you’ve got hiding in the fridge.
- Serve with a lovely crisp salad and some guac. Or some honey mustard roast carrots. Or crunchy red cabbage slaw. Or just chilli sauce and mayo for dunking. Tuck in!
Sophie cooks 