Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) is coming up tomorrow so I thought I’d get in early with my Pesto Pancakes recipe so you can be ready with all your ingredients to hand tomorrow if you want to make it.

Pancake Day was always a much anticipated calendar event in our house. My Mum would make simple pancakes and my brother and I would take turns at trying to toss them with many disastrous results.

While Mum always favoured plain lemon and sugar on hers, we tried a multitude of toppings from fruit to chocolate, to some seriously dodgy combinations that even the dog wouldn’t touch.

Nowadays I’m a tad more circumspect with my flavour pairings and this year have gone a wee bit savoury and giving a nod to two of my favourite countries – France with the crepe itself, and Italy with the pesto contents.

Instead of making a plain pancake and stuffing some pesto in there which I honestly feel would be a little harsh on the taste-buds, I have made a special sauce type pesto using Ricotta cheese instead of the normal parmesan or other hard grated cheese. This melts on the crepe and tastes delicious and creamy.

I’ve made just two crepes here which would be enough for two people as a small starter with a side salad, or for one person with salad as a main course.

Pesto Pancakes

50g/2oz plain flour (all-purpose flour)

1 large free-range egg

50ml/2 fl oz milk

salt and white pepper

butter for cooking

50g/20z toasted pine nuts and almonds mixed

1 small clove of garlic minced

100g/3 1/2 oz ricotta cheese

zest and juice half a lemon

20 basil leaves

Making your Pesto Pancakes;

Sift the flour into a bowl and break the egg into the centre.

Whisk the egg into the flour and then add the milk a little at a time as you whisk.

You want a batter that is smooth like cream.

Season with the salt and white pepper. I use white pepper to avoid black specks in the crepes and because I like the spiciness.

Toast the pine nuts and almonds (or simply use one or other of the nuts) in a dry pan till they are golden and release their scent.

Whizz 3/4 of the nuts in food processor along with the minced garlic, lemon zest and juice. Add the basil leaves reserving a few for decoration.

Stir in the ricotta till well blended.

Heat half the butter in a pan and pour in half of the batter. Spread around the pan and let it cook for almost 1 minute.

Flip the pancake and spread on half of your pesto mixture.

Fold or roll the pancake and tip on to a plate.

Repeat with the remaining mixture for the second pancake.

Decorate with remaining nuts and a few torn basil leaves.

Hey Pesto you have just made your Pesto Pancakes!

Happy Shrove Tuesday tomorrow.

Karon x

Pesto Pancakes

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

15 mins

Author: Karon Grieve

Recipe type: savoury

Serves: 2

Ingredients

50g/2oz plain flour (all-purpose flour)
1 large freerange egg
50ml/2 fl oz milk
salt and white pepper
butter for cooking
50g/20z toasted pine nuts and almonds mixed
1 small clove of garlic minced
100g/3½ oz ricotta cheese
zest and juice half a lemon
20 basil leaves

Instructions

Sift the flour into a bowl and break the egg into the centre.
Whisk the egg into the flour and then add the milk a little at a time as you whisk.
You want a batter that is smooth like cream.
Season with the salt and white pepper. I use white pepper to avoid black specks in the crepes and because I like the spiciness.
Toast the pine nuts and almonds (or simply use one or other of the nuts) in a dry pan till they are golden and release their scent.
Whizz ¾ of the nuts in food processor along with the minced garlic, lemon zest and juice. Add the basil leaves reserving a few for decoration.
Stir in the ricotta till well blended.
Heat half the butter in a pan and pour in half of the batter. Spread around the pan and let it cook for almost 1 minute.
Flip the pancake and spread on half of your pesto mixture.
Fold or roll the pancake and tip on to a plate.
Repeat with the remaining mixture for the second pancake.
Decorate with remaining nuts and a few torn basil leaves.