food to glow

Hello Spring!

These colour-studded savoury pancakes are made with nutty-tasting chickpea flour, also known as garbanzo bean flour, gram flour, farina di ceci, farine de pois – but rarely labeled as chickpea flour. But that’s what it is. Because it is a legume it contains no gluten, so you won’t use it as wheat flour, but it makes the most fantastic savoury pancakes and not bad sweet – chocolate – pancakes either.

Pancake Batter

130g (1 cup) gram flour

½ tsp salt

260ml (2 cup + 1 tbsp) warm water

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided use

Toppings

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided use

10-16 asparagus spears, tougher ends cut/snapped off

6-10 spring onions/scallions, root ends trimmed

Double handful of radishes, halved lengthways and sliced thickly

1 small courgette/zucchini

1 tsp lemon juice

2 eggs, optional

1. First of all make the pancake batter by adding a little less than half of the water to the gram flour and salt, and whisking like mad to get out the lumps; pour in 1 tablespoon of the oil and the rest of the water and whisk. The batter should run off a spoon like single cream at this stage. Cover and leave to absorb for between 1 and 2 hours – although you could get away with 30 minutes.

2. While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Toss the asparagus, spring onions and radishes in 2 teaspoons of the oil, lay on a tray and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. While these veg are in the oven, grate, julienne slice or spiralise the courgette and toss with the lemon juice. Set aside.

3. Now it is time to make the pancakes. Heat a sauté pan and add ½ tablespoon of the remaining oil. Test the heat of the oil with a small fleck of batter. If it sizzles immediately it is ready for the batter. Pour in half the batter and carefully swirl the pan to cover the bottom evenly. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side, then carefully slide a spatula under the pancake, flip and continue cooking until the pancake is dry, with a slightly crisped edge. Pop the pancake onto a serving plate and cover lightly with foil or a paper towel. Make another pancake.

4. When the pancakes are made, heat the remaining oil in a lidded sauté pan, crack in the eggs and cook under cover until the whites are firm and the yolk still has a little wobble. Or make up the eggs how you wish, of course.

To serve, divide the roasted vegetables between the two pancakes, strew over the courgette (you may not want all of it), and top with the eggs. Eat immediately. As if you would wait!

Lovely tweak: I sometimes smear on a tablespoon of black olive tapenade – extremely delicious!