Shrove, as in Shrove Tuesday, is a funny word. And one I had never thought about until today. It comes from the word “Shriven”, which means being, “absolved of sins”. Hmm… perhaps less said about that the better, apart from to add, that not taking every opportunity to eat pancakes should be declared a sin. For this week’s blog we have some pancake mix suggestions plus a heap of topping options from The Mart Farm Shop staff. All with the aim to have you Pancake Prepared by Tuesday.
GOOD HONEST PANCAKE
The point of pancakes used to be to use up perishable basic ingredients of flour, eggs, butter (if you were lucky enough to have it) and milk before Lent. A period of fasting and reflection in the Christian church. While many of us could still be doing with shaking off the extra Winter layers that accumulate over the festive period. We probably won’t be entering a full 40 day fast. But making pancakes is fun. Especially the flipping! And if you use a heavy enough pan you could potentially trim the arm muscles with each flip ; )
If you don’t have your full pancake license, keeping things simple is a good idea. At least to start with but you can make a very chic honest pancake by choosing quality ingredients. Adding the ‘O’ word instantly makes for a posher pancake. But of course our real reason for choosing organic is the sloths (see previous post or David Attenburgh’s The Green Planet). So for a basic but well considered pancake, try combining these 4 quality ingredients that would be absolutely spoilt by OTT toppings.
Doves Organic Plain White Flour, our organic eggs and milk and Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter. For a leaner pancake we usually stock an organic semi-skimmed milk too. And you can opt for less of the Irish stuff (until St Patricks Day).
Obviously there are many alternative flours that can mix things up a bit. My ultimate favourite pancake is buckwheat and Doves Farm have an Organic, and a non-organic one in their range. They are a family business emphasising organic and heritage flours. So they are also doing their bit for the sloths which is another reason to support them. Buckwheat is naturally gluten free, has a distinctive earthy taste and a lovely deep brown colour. It’s also fantastic for crepes sweet and savory. Best served with *cheese* please.
GABRIEL AND THE *MAGIC* PANCAKE
Look no eggs, no milk, no butter. How can this pancake possibly work? The answer is absolute bananas. This recipe comes from my friends 16 year old son, who started making these when he was around 8. He doesn’t usually make them GF but he will the next time I visit!
- I x cup of Doves Farm GF Self Raising White Flour
- 1 tablespoon of Silverspoon Caster Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- 2 x cups of Alpro Organic Soy Milk or Alpro GF Oat Milk
- ½ banana
Combine dry ingredients. Blend the banana and vanilla with the milk and then add these wet ingredients to the dry ones, slowly, to make a smooth batter. If you find the pancakes are not spongy enough add 1 teaspoon of Doves Freee GF Baking Powder. And the *magic* is that the bananas act as a binder. Thanks Gabriel!
FLIPPIN’ FANTASTIC TOPPINGS
A quick poll of best pancake toppings from The Mart Farm Shop staff had some expected results mixed in with a couple of more left field suggestions. No surprise that Clarks Maple Syrup was the no.1 choice. Neil takes it as it is, Jackie with melted butter and Keiran would go Swedish and add crispy bacon. 2nd top choice was ice cream which surprised me. Liela opted for S.Luca Strawberry Ice Cream and Mandy for Vanilla. Last but not least is our Sheena’s choice of Cointreau. I tried to suggest “with cream?” but turns out she likes it how she likes The Mart Farm Shop shelves… neat. Was this topping to be expected?… Probably ; )))
My research did ‘throw up’ a few, “interesting” options, including peanut butter and jelly (or jam as we call it). TBH I hate peanut butter so the thought of this makes me gag. But life’s thrills are still a little thin on the ground, so maybe I’ll surprise myself, try it and love it. Stranger things have certainly happened in these last 2 years.
Hope this blog has brightened a corner of a cold windy (or snow filled?) day. Now all that’s left is to ask, “Will YOU be Pancake Prepared by Tuesday?”
Happy Flipping,
Stella*
