I’ve used quinoa on many occasions and have always enjoyed it as a substitute for couscous in salads or a side but had never tried it in pancakes. As pancake day was looming, I thought I would try something a little different.
Being rather old fashioned in some respects, I have never been totally convinced that anything other than plain old lemon and sugar can ever be beaten into top spot for a sweet pancake topping. However, I am partial to maple syrup on anything so was looking for inspiration for a savoury pancake with a sweet edge. Still trying to work my way through a bulging bowlful of squash, I thought this would be great opportunity to use it in a different way. It’s natural sweetness marries very well with maple syrup and I thought some tangy goats cheese as a foil would be the perfect match.
I was really pleased with these. The only extra work over a normal pancake is the quinoa has be cooked beforehand, not an onerous task by any means. I made more than I needed and used the remaining quinoa to make a very tasty breakfast the day after. See Quinoa with Garlic Roasted Mushrooms and Eggs.
Back to the pancakes. My son loved them and ate them without any mention of his preference for American Style pancakes, mumbling ‘These are delicious” as he stuffed three of them, one promptly after the other. The added syrup in the recipe gives them a slighty sweet edge so they would be just as good served with fruit for breakfast or as a dessert. We ate ours at lunchtime and they went down a storm. The squash and cheese worked exceptionally well and complimented the sweetness of the pancake.
I will certainly be making these again. I used Hodmedod’s British Quinoa, grown not far from me over the border in Essex. Hodmedod’s is a local Suffolk company who source and sell a range of British pulses, both dried and tinned that are gaining a well earned following from cooks and restaurants.
- 200g cooked quinoa
- 100g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg and 1 egg white
- 1 Tbs unsalted butter for pan
- 60ml milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 squash, diced.
- ½ tsp dried thyme leaves (or leaves from a few fresh sprigs)
- Crumbled goats cheese
- Maple Syrup to serve
- Sautee the squash with the thyme leaves in a little olive oil and butter until soft and taking on a little caramelisation.
- Mix together the cooled cooked quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl whisk together egg, egg white, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth.
- Add this mixture to flour mixture and whisk together to combine.
- Heat a heavy pan and wipe inside with a little butter (I use kitchen towel to do this).
- Using a tablespoon, put heaped spoonfuls into the pan (my pan will cook three at a time).
- When bubbles appear on the top after a couple of minutes, flip over to cook the other side until golden brown.
- Keep in a warmed oven while you make the rest.
- Serve with the squash and crumbled goats cheese and pour over some maple syrup.
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