Ricotta pancakes with spinach, tomatoes, basil and pine nuts

Most people would be familiar with sweet pancakes, but what about savoury? With so many delicious tomatoes on offer at the moment, I’d recommend this recipe (which was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi) as one to try.

These delicious savoury pancakes are perfect for brunch or a light, but flavourful dinner. If you want a richer flavour, I’d recommend adding a bit of Parmesan cheese to the batter.

Serves 2

Ingredients

FOR THE PANCAKES

• 225g ricotta
• 3 tbsp parmesan, grated
• 125ml milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 80g self-raising flour
• 40g butter, for frying

FOR THE TOPPING

• 150g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2  tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 50g baby spinach leaves
• 2 tbsp basil leaves, shredded
• 30g pine nuts, toasted and chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150C.
2. Cut tomatoes in half and toss them in a bowl with half the oil and some salt and pepper. Arrange skin-side down on an oven tray and bake for an hour, until the tomatoes have lost much of their moisture.
3. Approximately 20 minutes before the tomatoes are ready, start on the hotcakes. Combine cheeses, milk and egg yolks in a large bowl, stir in the flour and a quarter teaspoon of salt, and mix to a uniform batter. Pour egg whites into a separate bowl and whisk until foamy, but not totally stiff; fold into ricotta mix.
4. Heat half the butter in a large, nonstick frying pan. Drop in two to three tablespoons of batter per pancake and use the back of the spoon to help shape them into round pancakes roughly 1cm thick and 10cm in diameter. Cook for a minute or two on each side, until golden. Keep warm and repeat with the remaining batter.
5. Mix the remaining oil, garlic, vinegar and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the spinach and, using your hands, toss gently.
6. Serve two pancakes per person, topped with the spinach salad and tomatoes, and finished off with a sprinkling of fresh basil and pine nuts.