Pancake Day Pancakes Recipe

With pancake day (Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday) only a week away, here is the recipe for the classic British thin pancake, the one that is tossed up and down the country on that day.

Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday was the day to get rid of and consume the last of the meat and eggs before the meatless days of Lent. This tradition evolved into the practice of combining the rich foods (eggs, butter, milk, flour) into pancakes and eating these before the fast days of Lent itself.

Today, pakcake Tuesday is a day all children up and down the land look forward to with relish.

Pancake Day Pancakes Recipe

Serves: 10–12

Ingredients:

120g (1 cup) plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
210ml (1 cup, less 2 tbsp) milk
90ml (6 tbsp) water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
butter, for frying

To Serve:
caster sugar, for sprinkling
lemon juice
lemon wedges

Method:

Sift together the flour and salt in a bowl. Form a well in the centre and crack the eggs into this. Beat the eggs together then work them into the flour. Now whisk together the milk and water in a separate bowl.

Beat the milk and water mix into  the flour and egg mix, working until smooth and adding just enough of the liquid to give you a consistency similar to single cream. Add the oil and beat to mix then set the batter aside to rest for 30 minutes before use.

Once the batter has rested, heat a non-stick frying pan over high until very hot. Reduce the heat to medium then add a very small piece of butter and use to coat the pan. Beat the batter then add a ladleful to the pan, quickly rotating the frying pan so that the batter evenly coats the base.

Cook for about between 30 seconds and 1 minute, or until the base of the pancake is lightly browned. Now, using a palette knife, gently flip the pancake over and cook on the other side for about 10 seconds, or until this side is also lightly browned. Carefully slice the pancake onto a heat-proof plate then set in a low oven to keep warm as you cook the remaining batter in the same fashion.

To serve, bring the stack of pancakes to the table, allow the guests to chose a pancake then sprinkle over the surface of the pancakes with caster sugar and lemon juice. The pancakes can either be rolled up like a Swiss (jelly) roll or they can be folded in half and then folded again to form triangles. Serve accompanied by lemon wedges.

My grandmother (who was Welsh) used to make a variant called a torth gri (curranty cake) where, as soon as the batter was added to the pan to fry currants were scattered over the top before the pancake set. The currants would then be cooked into the batter, adding more flavour to the pancake.

This recipe is adapted, with thanks, from the Celtnet classic pancake day pancake recipe page.

For many more pancakes and other traditional dishes for Shrove Tuesday, why not visit the Celtnet Pancake/Shrove Tuesday recipes page.

Stir-fried Scallops with Asparagus Recipe

Just when you thought I had finished with the Chinese recipes for this blog, here is another one! A lot of my friends over the years have been Chinese in one way or another (whether Chinese, Chin, Malay-Chinese or Vietnamese-Chines or Chinese-Americans) and I have picked up lots of tips and lots of recipes. I have over 20 years' accumulation of recipes, many accompanied by photographs taken along the way.

I've just started working through these recipes for a forthcoming book and I've decided to put up enough of the recipes on this blog for anyone to use them to create not just a multi-course Chinese meal but, if they wish to do so, a complete Chinese banquet. So, expect a few more Chinese recipes over the coming days.

Today's recipe is for a relatively simple stir-fry of scallops with asparagus, bamboo shoots and carrots. This is ideal as a first course for any dinner, but can also be served as a separate dish in a Chinese-style banquet meal.

Stir-fried Scallops with Asparagus

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

225g (8 oz) scallops
2 tsp salt
225g (8 oz) asparagus
3 tbsp groundnut oil
60g (2 oz) fresh or tinned bamboo shoots, thinly sliced (if using fresh blanch in boiling water for 30 minutes first)
1 small carrot, finely sliced
4 thin slices of fresh ginger
2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 tbsp chicken stock
1 tsp sesame oil
pinch of ground white pepper

Method:

Sprinkle the scallops with 1 tsp salt then set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Trim the asparagus, snapping off and any tough bases. Cut into 5cm (2 in) pieces then blanch in a large pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Pre-heat your wok then add 1 tbsp of the groundnut oil. When hot, add the scallops and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Drain the wok and wipe clean with kitchen paper. Add 1 tbsp more of the oil, and use to stir-fry the asparagus, bamboo shoots and carrots for 2 minutes. Season with the remaining salt then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Clean the wok, add the remaining oil and when hot add the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Return the scallops and vegetables to the wok then season with white pepper. Sprinkle over the Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry) and stock. Cover the wok and continue cooking for 2 minutes.

Drizzle over the sesame oil, toss to combine and serve immediately.

Below are some other classic Chinese recipes on this blog that you can use in conjunction with this recipe to produce a complete Chinese meal or banquet:

Soups and Starters

Chicken Steamboat Soup

Wonton Soup

Main Dishes

Spicy Szechuan Pork (Meat)

Xinjiang Lamb Casserole

Fish and Seafood Dishes:

Deep-fried River Fish with Chilli Bean Sauce
Stir-fried Scallops with Asparagus

Vegetarian Dishes:
Chinese Vegetable and Coconut Curry

Szechuan Fried Aubergine (Vegetarian)

Noodle Dishes:

Sour and Spicy Pork with Noodles

Seafood Chow Mein (Seafood)

Accompaniments:

Perfect Steamed Rice

Egg Fried Rice

Desserts

Rice Pudding with Dried Fruit

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

A pressure cooker is ideally suited for cooking meat, particularly cuts of meat that require slow cooking. Indeed, the cooking time for tougher meat cuts can be cut down substantially using a pressure cooker and the higher pressure employed also means that the fibres of the meat break down more, so that you end up with much more tender meat.

This is excellent for anyone who likes flavour. The truth is that the more that a muscle works, the more flavour it has, but the tougher it is as a cut. But in these frugal times, when everyone is watching the pennies and meat is expensive, buying a tougher but cheaper cut of meat, but then cooking it in a way that makes it tender whilst keeping the flavour really makes sense.

That's why I can really recommend this pressure cooker based recipe to everyone. This recipe uses topside, but I have made it very successfully with far more inexpensive cuts of meat (two boned shins rolled together as a joint is my favourite)

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1.25kg (2 1/2 lbs) boned and rolled topside of beef
300ml (1 1/4 cups) beef stock
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp mixed, dried, herbs
150ml dry red wine
2 onions, peeled and sliced
4 carrots, sliced
2 leeks, sliced thickly
125g (4 oz) button mushrooms
12 black olives, pitted
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in the base of a pressure cooker, add the beef and fry until nicely browned on all sides (remember to brown on the two ends as well). Add the stock (but reserve 4 tbsp) along with the tomato purée, herbs, wine, salt and black pepper.

Secure and seal the lid on the pressure cooker then bring to full pressure over high heat. Reduce the heat to stabilize the pressure and cook for 25 minutes. Take off the hat and set the pressure cooker under cold, running, water to reduce the pressure quickly.

Open the lid, add the vegetables and olives then secure the lid back off, place back over high heat and bring to full pressure. Reduce the heat to stabilize the pressure and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and set aside to allow the pressure to reduce naturally.

Lift out the mat and set on a warmed dish then set aside to keep warm.

Blend the cornflour (cornstarch) to a smooth slurry with the reserved sock. Beat this into the cooking stock in the pressure cooker then bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened. Arrange the meat on a serving dish and spoon over the sauce. Surround with the vegetables and serve immediately.

If you want even more ideas for pressure cooker based recipes, please visit the Celtnet Pressure Cooker information and recipes page.

Carrot and Potato Soufflé Recipe

Just for something different, here is a vegetarian starter I made recently. The recipe is for a carrot and potato soufflé. Though most people are used to dessert soufflés or savoury soufflés made with cheese, you can make a soufflé with any mixture that's sufficiently fluid for you to be able to mix the beaten egg whites (these are your soufflé's rising agent) with them.

Of all soufflés, this one is quite easy to make and I would recommend it for a novice. Here, a single large soufflé is made, but you could just as easily make four individual soufflés from the batter. Just reduce the cooking time to about 30 minutes if doing this.

Carrot and Potato Soufflé Recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

25g (2 tbsp) butter, melted
4 tbsp fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
675g (1 1/2 lbs) floury (mealy) potatoes, baked in their skins
2 carrots, grated
2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp orange juice
1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
carrot curls, to garnish (made with a potato peeler)

Method:

Take a 900ml (3 3/4 cups) soufflé mould and brush liberally inside with the melted butter. Sprinkle 3/4 of the breadcrumbs over the base and sides of the dish then set aside.

Allow the baked potatoes to cool slightly then cut in half and scoop out the cooked flesh with a spoon. Place the potato flesh in a mixing bowl then add the carrot, egg yolks, orange juice and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and black pepper then mix well.

In the meantime, add the egg whites to a clean and dry bowl. Whisk thoroughly until they stand up in soft peaks then gently fold the eggs into the potato mixture using a metal spoon. Mix until well incorporated, but do not over-mix, or the air will be knocked out of the egg whites and the soufflé will not rise.

Carefully and gently spoon the resultant potato and carrot mixture into the prepared soufflé dish. sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs over the top then place on a baking tray and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200ºC (400ºF). Bake for 40 minutes, or until the soufflé is well rise and golden brown.

DO NOT be tempted to open the oven door during the cooking process, or your soufflé will collapse. Garnish with the carrot curls and serve immediately.

Pressure Cooker Pease Pudding Recipe

Pease pudding is one of those English classics, made since at least Tudor times (there are recipes going back to the 1580s). Most commonly made in the North of England today, typically cooked with pork or ham it's still a staple dish in many places.

Recently I've been experimenting with Pressure Cooker cooking. My wife uses lots of split yellow peas as a base and thickener in her native West African cookery and I was wondering if dried green peas could be used in a similar way.

After a bit of experimentation, I fell back onto the classic pease pudding and decided to experiment with a quick method of preparing it in the pressure cooker. With recipe you can make a pease pudding in a couple of hours, rather than the over night soaking and three hours cooking needed with the traditional version.

Pressure Cooker Pease Pudding Recipe

Serves: 4–6

Ingredients:

300g (2/3 lb) dried green peas
600ml (2 1/2 cups) water
2 ham or bacon bones
1 onion, chopped
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 eggs
50g butter

Method:

Pick over the peas, arrange in a large bowl then pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes then drain in a colander.

Combine the water, soaked peas, bones and onion in a pressure cooker. Season to taste with salt and black pepper then seal the cooker and bring to pressure over high heat. Stabilize the pressure and cook for 9 minutes then take off the heat and set aside to cool naturally.

Open the cooker and remove the bones then mash the peas coarsely. Beat in the butter and then the eggs. Adjust the seasonings to taste then turn the mixture into a greased pudding bowl. Cover with a pleated sheet of greaseproof (waxed) paper and then a double layer of foil. Tie securely in place.

Wash the pressure cooker well then place a trivet in the base. Stand the pudding on the trivet then pour in enough water to come 1/4 of the way up the pudding. Secure and seal the lid, bring to pressure over high heat then stabilize the pressure and cook for 7 minutes.

Take off the heat and allow the pressure to reduce naturally. Remove the pudding from the cooker, take off the wrappings then turn the pudding out onto a warmed plate and serve (typically it's served to accompany a gammon joint).

Mini Focaccia Bread Recipe

Italian Focaccia is one of my favourite styles of bread. Quick to make and very versatile. It can be made with a range of toppings and flavourings and is suitable as a snack, as a starter or even as an accompaniment to soup (which is one of my favourite ways of serving them). They also make a great accompaniment to a summer barbecue.

The recipe given here is one I serve with soup to make a more substantial meal from the soup itself.

Mini Focaccia Bread Recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the Focaccia:

350g (12 oz) strong white bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet active, dried, yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
250ml (1 cup + 2 tsp) lukewarm water
100g (3 1/2 oz) green or black olives, halved

For the topping:

2 red onions, sliced into thin wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

Method:

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir in the yeast. Add the olive oil and lukewarm water then mix all the ingredients together to form a dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead well for about 5 minutes. Transfer the resultant dough to a greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 90 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in volume.

At this point, knock the dough back then turn out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead lightly for 2 minutes more. Scatter half the olives over the dough then knead the olives into the dough until evenly distributed.

Divide the dough into four even quarters then shape the quarters into rounds and arrange on greased baking trays. Flatten the dough slightly then push your fingers into the dough to achieve a dimpled effect.

Sprinkle the red onion slices and the remaining olives evenly over the bread rounds then drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle each round with the sea salt, thyme leaves and chopped rosemary. Cover lightly then set the dough aside to rise for 30 minutes.

After this time, remove the covering then transfer the dough to an oven pre-heated to 190ºC and bake for between 20 and 25 minutes, or until the focaccia are cooked through and golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before serving.




For hundreds more classic soup recipes, see the Celtnet Soup Recipes page with over 1000 recipes for different soups from across the globe.

If you liked this recipe for mini focaccia breads, there are many more recipes for soup accompaniments (as well as over 1000 recipes for soups) in my new eBook, the Big Book of Soup Recipes, available now from Amazon.

UPDATE! My Big Book of Soup recipes has just been published for Amazon Kindle!

This is the largest eBook of soup recipes ever assembled. With over 1000 soup recipes divided into all the classic soup types.

In addition you get a chapter on the history of soups, with example historic recipes from the stone age right up to the 1880s. Indeed, in the historic chapter there are soup recipes from the stone age, medieval period, Tudor period, Stuart Period, Georgian period and Victorian period, over 160 authentic historic soups covering the entire history of soup making in Europe.

You also get chapters on African soups and Oriental soups, covering the soups of the entire continent of Africa as well as east and southeast Asia (Indian soups are dealt with in a chapter on Curried soups.

There are also chapters on the classic soups, like cream soups, chowders, vegetarian soups, vegetable soups, meat soups, fish and seafood soups, chicken soups, winter warmers and spring soups. In addition you get chapters on more unusual soups like fruit soups and chilled soups. The book is also dotted with recipes for wild food based soups, which are easily accessible from the index.

Every classic and traditional soup type is dealt with in this ebook! Get you copy today and help this blog and the Celtnet Recipes website keep going.

Seafood Chow Mein Recipe

Just to round up the collection of classic Chinese recipes I've been adding to this blog of late, here is a recipe for a traditional chow mein. Mixed seafood and mangetout (snow peas) in a soy sauce dressing served on a bed of thin rice noodles. This has to be one of the most familiar of all Chinese dishes. And it's a real snap to prepare it from scratch at home.

I first encountered this recipe (with chillies, which I have omitted in this version) in a Malay Chinese friend's uncle's restaurant in the 1980s. Subsequent to that I have seen various versions prepared around the world. Here is my take on the dish, paring it back to its essence.

Seafood Chow Mein Recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

90g (3 oz) squid meat
4 fresh scallops
90g raw prawns (shrimps), peeled
1/2 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed to a smooth slurry with 2 1/2 tsp water
275g (10 oz) dried thin Chinese egg noodles
6 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
60g (2 oz) mangetout (snow peas)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 spring onions, finely shredded
a few drops of sesame oil

Method:

Open up the squid then, using a sharp knife, score the inside in a hatched (criss-cross) pattern. Now cut the meat into pieces about 3cm (1 in) square.

Pour boiling water into a bowl, add the squid pieces and soak for about 5 minutes, or until the pieces curl up. Drain the squid, rinse under a cold tap then drain.

Cut each scallop in half across the middle, then divide each half in half again (so that you have 4 half-moons of scallop). If the prawns are large, halve them lengthways. Mix the scallops and the prawns in a bowl with the egg white and the cornflour (cornstarch) slurry.

Brin a pan of water to a boil and use this to cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. When cooked, drain thoroughly then rinse under plenty of cold, running, water. Drain well again then toss with 1 tbsp vegetable oil to keep the strands separate.

Heat 3 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a pre-heated wok. Add the noodles along with 1 tbsp of the soy sauce and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Turn onto a large serving dish and set aside to keep warm.

Add the remaining oil to the wok. When hot, add the mangetout (snow peas) and all the. Stir-fry the mixture for 2 minutes then add the salt, sugar, rice wine (or sherry), the remaining soy sauce and half the spring onions. Toss to combine, adding a little water if necessary (you need a little sauce).

Pour the mixture over the top of the noodles and garnish with a few drops of sesame oil and the remaining spring onions.

Serve immediately.


Below are some other classic Chinese recipes on this blog that you can use in conjunction with this recipe to produce a complete Chinese meal or banquet:

Soups and Starters

Chicken Steamboat Soup

Wonton Soup

Main Dishes

Spicy Szechuan Pork (Meat)

Xinjiang Lamb Casserole

Fish and Seafood Dishes:

Deep-fried River Fish with Chilli Bean Sauce
Stir-fried Scallops with Asparagus

Vegetarian Dishes:
Chinese Vegetable and Coconut Curry

Szechuan Fried Aubergine (Vegetarian)

Noodle Dishes:

Sour and Spicy Pork with Noodles

Seafood Chow Mein (Seafood)

Accompaniments:

Perfect Steamed Rice

Egg Fried Rice

Desserts

Rice Pudding with Dried Fruit