A Pancake That's Good for Your Heart

It's Shrove Tuesday! Now, what could be better than lovely pancakes like your mother used to make...STOP! Hold it... Aren't pancakes bad for us? They're fried, and if you make them as my mother used to, then it's three eggs, white flour and a pint of whole milk. Well, I'm about to bust some myths about pancakes... Sorry, Mum.

Myth number one: "You must use full cream milk"
Modern non-stick pans and oil sprays make this completely unnecessary
Half fat milk or even just water is absolutely fine.

Myth Number two: "It has to be plain white flour"
After my husband ate over thirty-two traditional white flour pancakes in one sitting on our first pancake day of married life, I decided that I would have to come up with a better plan than slaving over a frying pan all evening. Simply substituting half the white flour for wholemeal took his pancake max to thirteen. Substituting porridge oats for most of the flour content when he was diagnosed with high cholesterol took his it own to just five or six! As long-term porridge fans, we already knew what an incredible superfood oats are for giving you a good energy level all morning.

Myth number three: "Vegans can't eat pancakes because of the eggs and milk"
Busted! I know several vegans who make tasty pancakes with oat milk or even water and no eggs!

Myth number 4: "Lemon and sugar is the only way"
OK, this is a joke-myth but allows me to introduce some of the more weird and wonderful toppings I've come across. As a kid, I would always drizzle pancakes with a spoonful of golden syrup, or spread butter on them and many Canadians and Americans will ask you to pass the Maple syrup, of course. I recently heard of people using jam or marmalade. I ordered a lemon wedge and sugar with a pancake in a restaurant in Germany once, and the waitress thought I'd lost my mind! she told the kitchen staff and they all watched us from the kitchen door to see what happened to us

My favourite topping is a thin spreading of organic cocoa and hazelnut spread (See the pic) and a handful of blueberries. My sister would spread her pancake with a thin serving of marmite and a tablespoonful of cottage cheese! Be as crazy or inventive as you like! Because of the sweetness of the oats, the recipe below even tastes good with nothing on it at all!

So, here is my favourite recipe (sorry vegans) for a healthy pancake that's good for your heart, your gut and your energy levels. Measurements are approximate as different varieties of flour and oats have different levels of absorption.

Make the batter at least an hour before you intend to cook the pancakes. It does around 8 seven inch pancakes depending on how thick or thin you like them.

Equipment
Frying pan
Spatula
Ladle for spooning out the batter
A blender, wand blender, liquidizer or smoothie maker is necessary in order to blitz the oats or you'll need to buy fine oatmeal.

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 level tablespoons Self-Raising Flour
2 level tablespoons wholemeal flour
8 heaped tablespoons porridge oats
200ml semi-skimmed milk
300ml water
large pinch of salt

Light Olive oil for frying (preferably a spray or use a brush)

Method:
Crack the egg into the blender cup first (so if the shell breaks, you can fish it out!)
Add the flour, salt and oats. Pour in the milk and water and blitz on the highest setting your blender will do for at least 20 seconds. Move the wand blender up and down in the blender cup to make sure you have mixed in all the flour and that all the oats have been blitzed smooth. If the batter seems too stiff, and the wand doesn't come easily, add a little more water and blitz again for a few seconds.

Refrigerate the mixture for about an hour then check the thickness of the batter. If you've made pancakes before you'll know how thick or thin you like it to be. For small scotch pancakes, it needs to be a thick consistency so that the batter doesn't spread out over the pan. For full English pancakes, don't fret too much about the density but it should be a similar consistency to thick, pouring custard. If it is thinner than that, the liquid will quickly boil off when it hits the frying pan. If it seems too thick when you get it out of the fridge, add a little water or milk and stir this in.

Get a suitable non-stick or well-seasoned frying pan or skillet and heat up to very hot.
Now for the oil... Lightly spray the pan a few times to coat if you have an oil spray bottle. Alternatively, brush the pan with oil using a silicone oil brush or pour a little oil into the pan and wipe around using a pad made with a few pieces of kitchen roll. You really don't want too much oil as it can make the pancake greasy, but you need enough to stop the pancake from sticking to the pan.

Cook for around 60 to 80 seconds, checking progress by lifting the edges of the pancake. When lightly browned, take a spatula around the circumference of the pancake to make sure it isn't going to stick, and then turn the pancake with a spatula or flip it.

The other side of the pancake usually needs a little less time and can benefit from being gently pressed to the pan with a spatula as a pocket of air can occasionally prevent it from touching the pan fully and cooking the middle of the pancake.

Slide the cooked pancake onto a plate and enjoy!

If making more than one, I like to pile them up on a plate on the hob right next to where I'm working. they can be put in the oven on a low setting but ensure they are covered with a heatproof pan lid so they don't dry out. If you're cooking for a few people, try using more than one pan at a time.