It's Pancake Time!
/And it's not a day to be ignored! Who doesn't love a fluffy pancake topped with all sorts of goodies?
I have been using chickpea flour (gram flour) for a while now. It has a lot going for it - it's a rich source of fibre and protein, offers good levels of calcium and magnesium (great for the bones), potassium (good for the heart), selenium and iron (good for protecting us against disease), B vitamins (energy-givers), is gluten-free and best of all, is well-tasty and makes great pancakes!
Many cultures claim to have 'invented' the chickpea pancake but as ever, the Italians like to claim the edge! The story goes that they were created aboard a shipwreck by Genoese sailors, where the only foods to survive a fearsome storm were chickpeas and olive oil so they mixed them with sea water, flattened the resulting dough, allowed it to dry on the deck in the sun and their version (farinata) was born.
I use Yottam Ottolenghi's recipe which makes 12 delightfully light and fluffy pancakes (the man just never disappoints!)
Put 100g gram flour (readily available in Indian and Middle Eastern stores), 4g (half a sachet) of 'fast action' yeast and ½ teaspoon of caster sugar in a large bowl with a good pinch of salt. Add 1 small beaten egg and 100ml water and whisk until you have a very smooth batter. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for an hour until it has doubled in size then add ½ teaspoon of baking powder, mix well and set aside, covered for another 10 minutes (you can do all this beforehand so you are good to go when it's pancake time).
Put a heavy-bottomed frying pan on a medium heat and add a tablespoon of light olive oil. Once hot, put three or four heaped dessertspoons of the batter into the pan and cook for 2 minutes each side or until the pancakes have risen to about 1.5cm in height and are light, fluffy and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside while you make the rest of the pancakes, adding more oil with each batch.
