I’d love to have been organised enough to have shared this recipe last Tuesday but Pancake Day is one of those things that takes me by surprise every year. As some who adores pancakes I’m not sure why but every time it rolls around I dash to the shop at five thirty to hunt down the ingredients having completely forgotten it was coming up. This year was, of course, no exception. I’m happy enough to say though, that pancakes should be for life not just for pancake day.

On a different pancake-related note, we had a debate at work last week about whether or not savoury pancakes are acceptable. Apparently one of my colleagues gets stick from his housemates for wanting to make savoury ones (and this year was overruled so didn’t get any savoury ones at all). Despite the thumbs down savoury pancakes also got in the office, I’m a big advocate. This was the time first time I’ve ever made savoury American-style pancakes though and I was delighted with the results; even more so as these were vegan and I’ve found it tricky in the past to make satisfactory vegan pancakes without them turning out as a stodgy mess. These ones were easy to make, with only a handful of ingredients and a light fluffy texture.

It would almost certainly be possible to make these with wholewheat flour but I played it safe with plain flour (I had to make sure my boyfriend was at least a bit on board with the idea of eggless pancakes – wholewheat might have been a step too far to begin with!) I’ll no doubt be experimenting further in the future and will let you know how that goes. What I did do this time around though is add in fresh spinach to the batter then top them with a herby, slightly spicy (sort of) ratatouille.

Ingredients (makes 4-6)

For the pancakes:

125g plain flour

250ml non-dairy milk (I used soy)

1tbsp baking powder

1tbsp vegetable oil

Pinch of brown sugar

Pinch of sea salt

Plenty of black pepper

2 handfuls fresh spinach, roughly torn (of course frozen spinach could be used instead)

Dairy-free spread, for cooking

For the topping:

1 tin/400g chopped tomatoes

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

Handful of mushrooms, thickly sliced

Handful of mange tout, top and tailed

1 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp paprika

1tsp chilli flakes

1tsp dried oregano

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl, add the oil and milk then whisk thoroughly until it is a smooth, lump-free consistency. Leave to stand for ten minutes before stirring in the spinach.

Whilst the mixture is standing, heat the olive oil in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add in the red onions and shallots, fry until they begin to soften. Add in the garlic, mushrooms, and mange tout. Stir well and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the garlic then add the tomatoes, spices, and herbs. Simmer on a medium heat for around ten minutes until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are firm but tender.

To cook the pancakes, place a non-stick frying pan on a high heat for around a minute, before turning the heat down to medium. Add a knob of the dairy-free spread and allow it to melt. Once it is bubbling and covers the bottom of the pan, add in a ladle full of the pancake mix. Do not spread this around – the pancake should be quite thick and it will naturally spread itself to the right thickness (quick tip: you can run a spatula around the edges to make it more perfectly round though!)

Once the top surface is covered with bubbles and the bottom is golden, flip it over and cook until the other side is also golden. Serve with a generous scoop of the tomato-y veg mix on top.

What do you think to savoury pancakes? Do you have any favourites?