Strictly speaking, not for Lent, but if you still have a taste for pancakes here’s a recipe for you.
By André de Mendonça
As I sat there watching the sugar melt into the lemon juice I pondered on why we only eat pancakes once a year when they are just so delicious. Fattening! But only if you eat too many of them! On the other hand, in these days of skyrocketing prices you could try this savoury version which is cheap, nutritious and easy to make.
Ingredients:
250gms red Lentils
1 green or red chilli, chopped
1 piece of ginger the size of three 50p pieces, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
Wash the lentils and soak them for 4 hours in plenty of water. Drain and then blitz them in a liquidiser with the chilli, ginger, a pinch of salt and a crunch or two of freshly ground pepper, adding just enough water to blend into a single cream consistency. You’ve made pancakes so you know what I mean. Now don’t panic! The mixture will be a pale pink colour but deliciously fragrant!
Add two teaspoons of vegetable oil to a small frying pan and then cook the batter as you would for pancakes, adding a teaspoonful of oil between each one and also each time you turn them. Six inch in diameter is best but you can go for bigger if you have a nonstick pan.
The batter doesn’t flip as easily as a normal pancake and you have to let the bubble holes appear so you know it’s ready to turn…. and, of course, the first one never comes out right!
Enjoy!