In case you missed the memo; it's pancake day tomorrow. More traditionally known as Shrove Tuesday, it comes the day before Lent begins in the Christian calendar, the day we are supposed to feast ourselves before forty days of self-denial. 'Fat Tuesday' (or Mardi Gras as it's more commonly known) is my kind of day - despite not having a religious bone in my body, its one of the few religious festivals I choose to celebrate... along with Christmas and Easter. You may note a common theme: food and gluttony. Oops.History bit done, lets get cracking. We all know our favorite sweet pancake recipes - mine's a simple lemon and sugar offering if you were wondering - but I wanted to share with you a recipe for savoury pancakes. Before you satisfy your sweet tooth, how about some creamy chicken, pancetta and spinach pancakes? It's Fat Tuesday afterall... go hard or go home. This is a Delicious Magazine recipe (I was lucky enough to be given a subscription for Christmas this year, hooray!), and is oh-so-tasty, oh-so-easy. Buy ready-made pancakes to make this even easier, or just double up on your batter mixture.
You will need (for 2-3 people)100g pancetta or streaky bacon1 onionGarlic200g chestnut mushrooms400g chicken 300ml gravy200g crème fraiche 150g spinach6 ready-made savoury pancakesCheese to top
Start by chopping the pancetta, onion, mushrooms and chicken and fry in a little oil (I use FryLight to save cals) with garlic - a couple of cloves, crushed - until the chicken and bacon are cooked and the onions are golden; about 10 minutes. Then add your gravy and crème fraiche and bring to the boil, before turning down to a simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the sauce has thickened. Throw in the spinach and allow to wilt for a few minutes. The recipe says to use ready-made pancakes (I used these, make sure you buy plain not sweet!) but you could obviously make your own. I actually found the ready-made pancakes didn't roll very well and split, next time I'd use my own. Fill your pancakes with the mixture, lay into a baking dish and top with a sprinkling of cheese. Bake on 180C for about 20 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Serve with a side salad - a little squeeze of balsamic glaze helps to cut through the richness of the pancakes.
