Spinach pancakes! (or "Savory Spinach Pancakes")

Adding vegetables to certain doughs, such as pizza, bread, savoury muffins or crêpes, gives us a wide range of possibilities to tinker with traditional recipes and turn them into something totally new, with much more striking and appetising flavours and colours. And at the same time, it gives us the solution to get the little ones at home to eat them more often and, sometimes, almost without even realising it.

The recipe for savoury spinach pancakes (also known as "spinach pancakes") is a clear example of this. As you already know, preparing the batter for pancakes, blinis or pancakes (as is also the case with crêpes) is one of the simplest things there is. In today's pancakes, the only difference is adding a portion of baby spinach to the batter , which is perfect because it is so tender, and a light touch of cumin . Thus, we will have pancakes with a beautiful and striking green colour that will delight everyone, especially the little ones, and that we can eat at any time of the day, either alone or as an accompaniment.

To get them ready quickly, while maintaining that lovely green colour, we will cook them in an iron pan, which is perfect for its fantastic heat retention and distribution . To do this, we will use the youngest De Buyer pan, the 12 cm Mineral B iron pan . We could make them in any other size pan, but with this one we will get blinis of ideal dimensions, without having to use rings or moulds.

Have you got everything ready? Well, let's get on with the recipe!

De Buyer Mineral B cast iron frying pan

Ingredients

For the pancake batter:

• 200 g of flour
• 150 g of tender spinach
• 1 egg
• 300 ml of semi-skimmed milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 40 g unsalted melted butter
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

To cook and serve the pancakes:

• 20 cl crème fraîche*
• Grated lemon
• Oil or butter to grease the pan

* Crème fraîche is a type of fermented cream originally from Normandy, which you can find in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets. It is a fairly thick cream with a slight acidic touch and a fat content of up to 40%. If you cannot find it, you can use semi-whipped cream.

Elaboration

1. Wash and dry the baby spinach.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and let it rest for 1 hour.
3. Add a splash of oil or a cube of butter to the De Buyer Mineral B Cast Iron Skillet and when it is hot, pour in a ladle of the preparation.
4. When bubbles start to appear, turn the pancake over and continue cooking for a few seconds on the other side.
5. Serve the pancakes with a teaspoon of crème fraîche and sprinkle with grated lemon peel (they are also delicious accompanied by burrata, a vice if it is of quality thanks to its great dose of flavor that mixes the aromas of cream and mozzarella).

Grades

• These pancakes are perfect for any time of day, but they are also a luxurious accompaniment to a board of smoked meats and cheeses.
• As we have indicated, you can use semi-whipped cream instead of crème fraîche. It will also be delicious with thickened Greek yogurt or any cream cheese.
• To go a little faster, you can use the 3-pancake version, the De Buyer Mineral B 3-Blini Pan . As well as being more efficient, it's ideal for the brave and for large families!
• Just like most of the recipes I share with you, you can make your own versions. Swap the semi-skimmed milk for vegetable milk, use another vegetable instead of spinach, add a little basil, mint or season with your favourite spice to give it your personal touch. Don't be afraid to try different ingredients, because you're sure to get it right!

Magimix glass blender