Pancakes are one of those dishes that transcend cultural boundaries. From Russian blini, to Chinese scallion pancakes, to Swiss rosti, to the American buttermilk pancake, every culture seems to have its own version of this simple comfort food. With a house of pancake lovers, I was delighted to come across Mark Bittman’s New York Times recipe for Swedish-inspired spinach pancakes. (The Mom in me certainly didn’t mind the addition of greens and I decided some protein-rich yogurt in the batter could do no harm.)
These pancakes are a cross between sweet and savory. They are not sweet like a classic American-restaurant pancake, but the flavor is one I associate with sweet maple syrup, berries, or agave-dressed Greek yogurt. Bittman suggests serving them with sour cream (or ricotta) but I think you could get away with the aforementioned (sweet) accoutrements. The spinach is mild in flavor and its addition does not alter the texture. These are fluffy and hearty – and spiked with fleks of green goodness.
Spinach Pancakes, adapted from the New York Times
Ingredients
10 ounces fresh spinach, well washed, large stems removed, or 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (can also use swiss chard, collard greens, mustard greens, or any other green leafy vegetable you like)
2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk or 1 cup Greek yogurt + 1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp canola oil (or melted and cooled butter)
Directions
If the batter looks or cooks too thin (that is, it spreads unappealingly over the pan), add a little flour, or some more spinach. If it is too thick, stir in some liquid (milk or water) a spoonful at a time. The batter should be spoonable but not pourable.
- If using fresh spinach: Put spinach in a covered saucepan over medium heat, with just the water that clings to its leaves after washing; or plunge it into a pot of salted boiling water. Either way, cook it until it wilts, just a couple of minutes. Drain, cool, squeeze dry and chop. (Same method for other greens you may use.)
- Heat large skillet over medium-low heat while you make batter. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
- Place buttermilk or yogurt/milk mixture in another bowl. Beat eggs into it, then stir in the melted butter. Stir this into dry ingredients, adding a little more buttermilk if batter seems thick; stir in spinach.
- Place a teaspoon or two of canola oil (or butter) in a pan. Ladle batter onto skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Add more oil to pan as necessary. Brown bottoms in 2 to 4 minutes. Flip only when pancakes are fully cooked on bottom.
- Serve immediately or keep warm for up to 15-20 minutes in a 200 degree F oven.
This would be perfect (and a welcome change) to the usual sweet pancakes and breads for a weekend breakfast. I can already see this going fabulously with a runny egg. 🙂
Good call! My husband said he wanted something savory with these – but not cheese. Runny egg is just the thing. Thanks!
i can never get enough of the chinese scallion pancakes…always wanted to try making these at home so i can add more scallions to them! haha. these spinach pancake looks like great idea for wkend brekkie…i tend to get sick of sweet pancakes after few bites!
I’m in complete agreement! They come together quickly and simply – save it for a lazy day cooking project!