Creamy Mushroom and Garlic. Buckwheat Pancakes.

I was a day late with the old pancakes this year.  My brother-in-law recommended we go and see the amazing film the Untouchables and Tuesday was our last chance...so pancakes were sidelined.  

Anyway with all guns blazing on Wednesday we had a pancake feast of smoked trout with horseradish on blinis, buckwheat pancakes with the most delicious creamy, garlic-y, mushroom, spinach filling, then old school lemon and sugar pudding pancakes made with the leftover buckwheat batter!

Creamy mushroom pancakes are completely delicious and would be a great one for lunch or dinner, and will make carnivores and veggies both very very happy.  Oh and wonderfully both the filling and batter can be made in advance and then assembled at the last minute.

Ingredients

For the Pancakes (makes enough for main and pud for 2)

115 g buckwheat flour (also used in my blini recipe)

salt and pepper

3 free-range eggs

milk

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp melted butter

For the Filling (for 3 pancakes)

3 tbsp olive oil

a couple of large knobs of butter

3 extra large garlic cloves (or 5 regular sized ones), finely chopped

100 g ricotta

35 g parmesan, grated

140 g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 dsp cream

large handful baby spinach

squeeze of lemon

salt and black pepper

grating of nutmeg

Method

1. Make the pancake batter.  Weigh the flour into a bowl and add the seasoning.  Make a well in the centre and whisk in the eggs, gradually add some milk until the mixture is the consistency of single cream.  Add the melted butter and lemon juice.  Pop in the fridge to rest.

2. Make the filling.  Heat the oil in a saucepan, then add the garlic, stirring over a moderate heat.  After 3 minutes, add the mushrooms and butter.  Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir over the heat for another minute.  Check the seasoning and set aside in the saucepan until ready to assemble.

4. To assemble, lightly brush a frying pan with a little oil and place over a moderate heat.  Pop the filling over a moderate heat to warm up.  When the frying pan is hot ladle in enough batter to make a thin layer on the bottom of the pan and cook for about 30 seconds or until the edges start to come away from the pan.  Flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds.

5. Serve by popping a pancake on a plate spooning over the filling on one side and covering with the other half of the pancake.  Then grate over some extra parmesan and pop under the grill.

Yum yum yum.