Creativity in the kitchen: Making pancakes without flour

The absence of flour needn't disrupt your meal plans or compel you to rush to the nearest shop. You can manage without this ingredient, even when planning to prepare sweet pancakes for breakfast. It’s pretty simple!

Unexpectedly, running out of an essential food ingredient at home has doubtless happened to everyone. Fortunately, most of these can be effectively substituted with alternatives. They say necessity is the mother of invention. In my view, it also gives rise to exceptional chefs. And the lack of flour at home can inspire many new, excellent recipes.

Kurt Scheller, a celebrated chef from Switzerland, often says there's virtually no flour in his kitchen. Of course, there are exceptions where this white powder is indispensable. Besides these rare occasions, Scheller prefers to avoid using flour altogether. Perhaps it’s a matter of culinary taste? Or maybe it's due to the genetic modifications in grains we've been observing for years? I’m not sure about Scheller, but I know how it was for me. I ran out of flour.

It wouldn’t have been a significant issue if I was only cooking for myself. However, the children wouldn’t forgive such an oversight under any circumstances. I had to devise a solution because when the little ones anticipate pancakes, it's no laughing matter. Fortunately, I discovered an excellent recipe for pancakes made with semolina—no flour—and the result was astonishing!

Ingredients:

      
• 200 grams of quick-cooking semolina,
• 200 millilitres of milk,
• 1 banana,
• 2 eggs.

Preparation:

      
1. Pour the milk over the semolina. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. Peel the banana and mash it with a fork. Break the eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks to the banana immediately, and whisk the egg whites until stiff.
3. Now add the soaked semolina to the banana with the yolks, and after a moment, add the beaten egg whites. Mix well.
4. Fry for 1.5 minutes on each side. Serve with icing sugar or a dollop of cream. Enjoy.