Savoury pancake delight: A meatless marvel for every week
Many of us enjoy pancakes with sweet fillings, often overlooking how delightful they can be when savoury. My favourites are those with a filling containing no meat whatsoever, so I cook them every meatless Friday.
I adore pancakes in all their forms, but I've only recently experimented with a savoury version. Since discovering their delights, I prepare them at least once a week. Not only are they delicious, but they're also quick and economical to prepare, and the ingredients are easily found in any shop. It's an ideal meal for vegetarians because the filling contains no meat. You only need spinach, mushrooms, mascarpone, and pancake batter to create a deliciously satisfying dish.
Pancake recipe
I'm providing a pancake batter recipe, but if you have a tried-and-tested method, feel free to use that. The most important aspect is the filling, which is incredibly easy to make. The ingredients are aromatic by themselves, so I only add salt, pepper, and a touch of nutmeg to enhance the creaminess of the filling. I used Grana Padano for these pancakes as it happened to be in the fridge, but any other cheese, like Parmesan or cheddar, can be used just as effectively.
Ingredients for the batter:
- about 500g of plain flour,
- about 300ml of milk,
- about 120ml of sparkling water,
- a pinch of salt,
- 2 large eggs,
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Ingredients for the filling:
- about 450g of mushrooms,
- 1 package of baby spinach,
- about 150g of mascarpone,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- about 50g of grated yellow cheese,
- salt, pepper,
- nutmeg,
- vegetable oil for frying.
Preparation:
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Beat with a whisk or mixer. Then add the flour, milk, sparkling water, and oil, mixing continuously to create a smooth, pourable batter. Refrigerate it for half an hour.
- Preheat a pan; there's no need to add oil as it's already in the batter. Pour portions of the batter onto the pan to create thin, crispy pancakes.
- Now for the filling. Clean the mushrooms and slice them. In another pan, heat vegetable oil and add garlic pressed through a garlic press. After a minute, add the mushrooms and spinach, cooking until the excess water evaporates. Season the filling with pepper, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg, and at the very end, mix with mascarpone cheese.
- Spread the hot filling on the pancakes and sprinkle with yellow cheese. Fold the pancakes into rolls or envelopes.
