Two recipes for Pancake Day: fat and thin pancakes

An original fast food, pancakes take centre stage in February. How do you like yours?

Words: LAURA ROWE Illustrations: VICKI TURNER

Associated with many religious festivals including Shrove Tuesday (celebrated on 28 February this year) and Hanukkah, pancakes’ few ingredients symbolise big things: eggs for creation, flour the staff of life, salt wholesomeness and milk purity. It was also a celebratory way to use up the foods forbidden during Lent fasting.

Over time they’ve become more everyday. In the US they like them in the morning, fat, stacked high and covered in maple syrup. Maybe you prefer a mini version; bitesize buckwheat blinis from Eastern Europe, topped with sour cream, smoked salmon or caviar? Or perhaps you’re a fan of the thin pancake, rolled and stuffed with shredded roast duck, hoisin sauce, cucumber and spring onions for dinner in a bao bing like the Chinese. There’s a pancake for everyone and any time. But whichever way you like to eat them, the question remains: do you flip high or slide low?

FAT PANCAKES

Mix 135g plain flour with 1 egg, 130ml milk, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp caster sugar and 2 tbsp melted butter and whisk for a thicker batter. You want the consistency of double cream. 

Drop 1 heaped tbsp into a hot, buttered frying pan and fry for 1 min until you begin to see bubbles on the surface. Flip or turn over and fry until golden brown and risen

THIN PANCAKES

Mix 100g plain flour with 2 eggs, 300ml milk and 1 tbsp melted butter. Whisk thoroughly and rest for 30 mins. You want the consistency of pouring single cream. 

When ready to cook, add a knob of unsalted butter to a non-stick frying pan. As it starts to melt, add a ladle of the rested batter and swirl the mix around the pan until it covers the entire base. 

Cook for 1-2 mins before flipping, or gently turning over and repeat on the other side. Then bin it: the first pancake is always the worst. Repeat and you’ll have perfect pancakes for the rest of the batch. Serve with lemon juice and sugar or whatever takes your fancy.

Extract from Taste: The Infographic Book of Food by Laura Rowe, illustrations by Vicki Turner by Aurum Press, £20. Buy your copy here.

This blog was first published with issue 44 of The Simple Things.

More pancake ideas…

More from our blog…

Recipe: Peanut butter jammie dodgers

Fans of peanut-butter- and-jam sandwiches will love this biscuity twist on the all-American classic. Give the flowers and chocs a miss and instead make a batch of these irresistible biccies for someone you love. 

MAKES ABOUT 30 DODGERS

150g butter, softened
100g shop-bought smooth peanut butter
125g caster sugar
25g light muscovado sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
large pinch salt
265g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting
100g of your favourite jam

1 Cream together the butter and peanut butter for 1 minute. You can use either a medium bowl and a wooden spoon, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add both sugars and beat for a further 2 mins until fluffy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla and salt and beat until combined, then sift over the flour and mix to form a soft dough. Knead a couple of times until smooth. 
2 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160/350F. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
3 On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to a thickness of 3–4mm. The dough will be quite fragile – if it breaks apart, gently press the crumbly edges back towards the centre, then carefully continue to roll.
4 Cut out rounds of dough using a 5cm biscuit cutter. Using a heart-shaped stamp, or another small cutter of your choice, cut a hole from the middle of half of the biscuits. Place all the biscuit rounds on the prepared baking trays.
5 Bake for 8–12 mins until lightly golden. Keep a close eye on them – these biscuits can turn from golden to burnt very quickly.
6 Remove from the oven, leave to cool on the trays for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7 When the biscuits are cool, spread a scant tsp of jam on the underside of the whole biscuits. Top each one with a cut-out heart biscuit and press down lightly. The biscuits will keep in an airtight container for 2 days.

Recipe from Homemade Memories by Kate Doran (Orion Publishing)

This recipe was first published in issue 44 of The Simple Things.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

From our February issue…

More lovely things for Valentine’s Day…

How to make your own ink

It doesn’t need blood, sweat or tears. Unlike deciding what to write

Ink is pigment mixed with a carrier, such as water, and something to help it stick to paper – 1 tsp gum arabic. Kitchens are full of pigment possibilities – try these out. Wear gloves!

BLACK: Mix gum arabic, an egg yolk and 100ml honey. Stir in 1⁄2 tsp of lamp black (the soot created when a plate – or similar – is held over a flame).

DARK BROWN: Cover 6 to 8 whole blackened walnuts with water and simmer for up to an hour. Strain through muslin, before mixing with water, gum arabic and vinegar.

BROWN: Pour boiling water over 5 tea bags and steep for around 15 minutes. Squeeze bags. Add gum arabic to the liquid and strain through muslin.

BLUE: Simmer two handfuls of elderberries in vinegar. Squish, strain and mix with gum arabic. 

Store your inks in lidded jars. They’ll work best with traditional dip pens.

Read more:

From the February issue

Miscellany posts

Making projects

February's The Simple Things is out now- buy, download or subscribe. 

Winter beaches: Pubs to watch the waves from

Every blustery winter walk should end hunkered down in a cosy pub with a pie and a pint. Even better, the pub should be by the sea to watch storms roll in and winds whip up the waves as a fire crackles comfortingly beside you.

Try these:

l The Butt and Oyster, Pin Mill, Suffolk

At high tide, the River Orwell reaches the walls of the pub and pints have been known to be handed to sailors through the windows. debeninns.co.uk/buttandoyster

l Pandora Inn, Mylor, Falmouth, Cornwall

Sitting above the Restronquet Creek, this 13th-century pub is the place to perch with a bowl of mussels and watch the tide creep in. Alternatively, wrap up warm and eat outside on the pontoon. pandorainn.com

l The Little Gloster, Gurnard, Isle of Wight

The generous deck looks over the Solent – sit here and watch the yachts drift past or eat in the restaurant and watch the sun set over the horizon. thelittlegloster.com

l The Pilot Inn, Dungeness, Kent 

Head here after a tramp along the UK’s biggest (and most atmospheric) shingle spit for fish, chips and mushy peas. thepilotdungeness.co.uk

l The Harbour Inn, Solva, Pembrokeshire

Sitting above the harbour in Solva National Park, this pub is rambler (and dog) friendly providing a comfortable stop-off along the coastal path. harbourinnsolva.com

Turn to page 64 of February's The Simple Things to read Clare Gogerty's piece on the invigorating yet melancholy pleasures of winter beaches.

Read more: 

From the February issue

The essential winter beach kit

Islands of adventure: Britain's coastline

February's The Simple Things is out now- buy, download or subscribe. 

Event: Puddle jumping and pancake racing this half term

This month release your inner child and get your wellies on and frying pan out

In half term the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust hosts National Puddle Jumping Competitions at its nine centres. Marks are awarded for enthusiasm, style and size of splash. This one’s for kids only, but you could always host your own.

We all love Shrove Tuesday (9 February) so why not join your local race? The original pancake race was said to be in Olney, Bucks, where they’ve been racing since 1445. Now, the town holds many races, flipping competitions and prizes for best fillings.

Visit wwt.org.uk/bigsplash or olneypancakerace.org

Read more:

From the February issue

Pancake posts

Listen to our bus journey playlist 

February's The Simple Things is out now- buy, download or subscribe. ​

Recipe: Allium broth

This delicious broth has many uses. Use it instead of water for cooking pulses and beans and it brings them to life immediately. Add some diced or shredded green vegetables and simmer until they soften for a nutrient-rich soup or simply stir in some green pesto and lemon juice and pour into a mug for a light lunch on the go.

Allium broth

Makes 1.2 litres
2 large white onions, skins on, sliced
2 leeks, green ends included, sliced
1 bunch spring onions, sliced vertically
4-6 garlic cloves, rolled and smashed, skins on
4 small shallots, skin on, sliced into rounds
2.25 litres water
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns

1 Combine all the ingredients in a large pan. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil.
2 Lower the heat to a simmer, and continue cooking for 2 hours until all the allium vegetables have softened, become totally transparent and are almost reduced to a pulp.
3 Strain the broth through a sieve, pushing through the finer vegetables with a wooden spoon. Set aside to cool.
4 Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days, or freeze for up to three months.

Recipe from Broth by Vicki Edgson and Heather Thomas. Photography by Lisa Linder (Jacqui Small Publishing).

Read more:

From the February issue

Soup recipes

Supper on the sofa

February's The Simple Things is out now - buy, download or subscribe. 

Recipe: Beetroot and caraway seed loaf cake

Based on a traditional seed cake, this is quick to make and is a sweet way to use up leftover roots*, especially beetroot, which gives it a cheery colour

BEETROOT AND CARAWAY SEED LOAF CAKE

100g cooked beetroot**
2–4 tbsp milk
50g ground almonds
11⁄2 tsp caraway seeds
150g butter, softened, plus extra to grease the tin
150g caster sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten 150g self raising flour, sifted
2 tbsp pearl or demerara sugar, to finish

1 Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan 140C/310F. Lightly grease a 1.5-litre loaf tin and line with baking parchment, then butter the parchment.
2 In a bowl, mash the beetroot with some of the milk until smooth. You can do this in a food processor or with a stick blender
if you like. Mix in the ground almonds and caraway seeds.
3 Using a hand-held electric whisk or mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
4 Gently fold in the flour, followed by the beetroot mixture, until just combined.
5 Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and gently smooth the surface. Sprinkle the pearl or demerara sugar over the top and bake for 55–60 mins, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
6 Leave in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This cake keeps well; if anything, it’s better after a couple of days stored in an airtight tin.

Recipe from Love Your Leftovers by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Photography by Simon Wheeler (Bloomsbury).

* You can replace the beetroot with roast carrots or parsnips. You can use mashed or puréed veg too.
** These can be roasted (or boiled) with salt and pepper, even with some bay and/or thyme, but don’t use any roasted with garlic.

Read more: 

From the February issue

Cake in the house recipes

Winter dauphinoise recipe

February's The Simple Things is out now - buy, download or subscribe.

Chinese New Year recipe: Braised belly pork

At this time of year the Chinese choose dishes that are symbolic of prosperity, longevity and a fresh start. So tuck in!

What February needs is something to liven things up, to add a splash of colour and a bit of energy to the dog-end of winter. Lucky then that we can adopt the vibrant annual celebration of Chinese New Year* (In 2017 it falls on 28 January and marks the start of the Year of the Rooster). 

Jenny Linford always takes time to celebrate it: “I spent part of my childhood living in Singapore and my memories from that time revolve around food: from eating satay, freshly cooked over charcoal, to family outings with my cousins to dine on tasty Hainanese chicken rice.
Chinese New Year is huge in Singapore. As a child, I loved collecting the ‘ang pow’ (envelopes of money) given to me by family and friends, as is traditional, and feeling very rich! Though I live in London, I still mark the day by cooking a Chinese-inspired meal for family and friends. Bringing together loved ones to feast and talk is always meaningful – and convivial.”

Braised belly pork

A homely stew with a kick is always a welcome sight. Fluffy rice will mop up the juices nicely

Serves 6
1kg belly pork, skin on, boned, cut into 2.5cm chunks
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
2.5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 star anise
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 tbsp Chinese rice wine or Amontillado sherry
1 tbsp tomato purée
600ml chicken stock, preferably fresh
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
salt, to taste
chopped green spring onion, to garnish

1 Heat a large, heavy frying pan. Put in the belly pork, skin side down, and cook over a medium heat for 5-10 mins until the skin crisps and browns, then turn over and fry briefly until the flesh whitens.
2 Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Fry the onion, leeks, ginger and garlic, stirring to prevent browning, until softened.
3 Add the fried pork belly and star anise to the casserole dish and sprinkle over the five-spice powder, mixing well. Add the rice wine and fry, stirring for 2–3 mins.
4 Mix in the tomato purée and add the stock, soy sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 mins. Season to taste with salt.
5 Uncover and simmer for 30 mins to reduce the liquid, stirring now and then. Cover, cool and chill until required, then heat through thoroughly. Garnish with chopped green spring onion and serve.

This recipe is taken from issue 44 of The Simple Things (February 2016). Back issues are available from our shop, but as this one has sold out you can find a PDF of the full menu here. 

More Gathering posts:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

Calm: February cover reveal

Who says the end of winter has to be gloomy? Treat it as a time of calm before the outdoor pleasures of spring. Conserve your energy with a green tea by the fire, hot allium soup, or a slice of seed cake. Need a boost? Try hugging a hot water bottle, hanging a houseplant or flipping a pancake. Cabin fever? How about puddle jumping or a windswept walk on an empty beach. Reach inside yourself to find kindness in your heart and peace in your mind. If it’s contentment you seek then look no further than The Simple Things.

February's The Simple Things is out today - buy, download or subscribe now. View the sampler to see what's inside.

Think: Wind-down stretches

Try these to help relax your muscles, expel some of the tension of the day and prepare you for a good night’s sleep. This idea and the illustrations come from Calm by Michael Acton Smith (Penguin)

Shoulder rolls

Stand with a straight back, your legs hip-width apart. Let your arms hang loosely. Shrug both shoulders forward and up, then slowly roll them back and down. Repeat this several times. This helps to loosen the shoulders, neck and back.

Standing forward bend

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Slowly bend at the hips and fold your torso towards the ground. Keep a small bend in your legs to avoid straining your back. Either let your hands rest on the ground, or fold them to hold your elbows. Straighten your legs gently to stretch out the back of your legs.

Back stretch

Lying on your back, bring your right knee towards your chest, then let it fall to your left. Rest your left hand on your right knee and stretch your right arm out straight. Bring your gaze to the right, or slowly let your head fall to the side. Repeat on the opposite side. This twist will gently stretch your spine.

Read more:

From the February issue

Think posts

Mindfulness posts

February's The Simple Things is out on Wednesday 27 January - buy, download or subscribe. 

Make: A macrame planter

Projects to perk up the plant life in every corner of your home

Creative gardening need not be restricted to outdoors. Or, indeed, to off-the-shelf plant pots. Making a hanging plant holder is a craftier way to display greenery, and a great project for anyone finding themselves low on either time or space. 

The ancient craft of macramé was a hit with the Victorians, although it’s most associated with 1970s homespun style. Plant hangers are back, given a colourful – and, dare we say, tasteful – makeover. You can, of course, buy one (see page 8 of February’s The Simple Things), if all that knotting brings back painful memories. 

Hanging plant holder

 
You will need: 
textile yarn* 
scissors
2 plant pots, ideally already containing a plant

1 Cut five pieces of the textile yarn, each of about 4m long, and one more of about 40cm (you can adjust the measurements to your desired length).
2 Fold each of the longer pieces of yarn in half. Group all the folds together, then create a loop by wrapping the smaller piece of yarn around the grouped threads several times and tying firmly (A). 
3 Divide the 10 pieces of hanging yarn into five pairs (B). 
4 About 20cm below the top loop, take the first two threads and knot them together. Repeat for each of the pairs (C). 
5 Then, take the right hand thread from the first pair and, further down, knot it with the left hand thread from the second pair. Repeat for each thread until each piece of thread is tied to another (D). 
6 Repeat the process down the length of the yarn. The bigger you make the gap between the knots, the more space you’ll have for the pot, but you’ll need to make the knots closer together to hold the bottom of the pot. 
7 Test for size with your plant pot, before tying a secure knot underneath the pot with the threads. 
8 To add a second pot, repeat under the bottom knot using exactly the same knotting system. 
9 Finish with a large knot containing all the yarn and neaten the ends with scissors.

Project by Laetitia Lazerges, a Paris-based pattern designer who blogs at www.vertcerise.com and www.doityvette.fr. She has also written several DIY books and sells bright and fun paper goods on Etsy at www.vertceriseshop.etsy.com.

Read more:

From the February issue

Think posts

Mindfulness posts

Win! A loveseat or armchair from Sofa.com worth £1000! (closed 24 Feb 2016)

WIN! A LITTLE PIECE OF LUXURY FROM SOFA.COM

A cosy loveseat or armchair is the ideal place to cuddle up with your choice of company - whether a loved one, a pet, or a book. 

Sofa.com are makers of beautifully crafted sofas, armchairs and beds. Their extensive range has styles to suit all tastes, from classic and traditional designs, to more mid-century and contemporary pieces. Their selection of house fabrics is something to behold, with over 150 colourways in a number of different fabric types that can be upholstered onto any of their products.

Founded in 2005, they had the aim of making a better sofa, at a better price, than any other high street store, and have since been nominated for numerous awards for personal shopping and customer services.

Because they really care that their customers find the perfect sofa, they also have dedicated areas in their showrooms in Chelsea, Edinburgh and Bath, where you can browse through a host of designer fabrics from brands such as Ralph Lauren, Nina Campbell and Colefax and Fowler allowing you to create the perfect sofa, armchair, or bed for your home.

They’re giving a reader of The Simple Things the chance to spend up to £1000 on any of their armchairs or loveseats. Head of design Emma Williams says, “A loveseat or armchair would be just the thing for those slightly awkward areas such as alcoves or bay window spaces. If you want it to stand out, chairs with fixed backs look great in patterned fabrics to show off the design.”

HOW TO ENTER

The prize is your choice of a loveseat or an armchair up to the value of £1000. Closing date: 24 February 2016. For full T&Cs, see icebergpress.co.uk/comprules - keep scrolling down to enter. (If you're on a mobile device, the ENTER button may be partially hidden behind the social media icons ~ you can still click on it to enter.)

Enter Now

Read more:

From the February issue

Competitions

Interiors posts