It’s Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras / Pancake Day and traditionally as the last day before the start of Lent, luxury or rich foods were finished off before the fasting of Lent. The pancake symbolises such foods for ‘Mardi Gras’ which literally means Fat Tuesday.
This months blog will feature stuffed oven baked pancakes as a savoury alternative to sweet pancakes, though any left overs can simply be eaten with strawberries and Nutella.
To feed four people you will need;
For the pancake batter
200g plain flour, 200mls milk and 2 eggs beaten with a small amount of oil – to make 4-8 pancakes dependent on size.
For the Ragu you will need;
300g minced pork or finely cut left over roast pork
Handful of chopped marjoram or tyme or sage – picked from the herb pots provided for our guests
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tsp dried chillies
2 tsp fennel seeds
100mls red wine
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 tin of tomatoes
50mls double cream
1 mozzarella ball – shredded
80g Gruyere cheese – grated
30g parmesan cheese – grated
Method –
Fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes, then add the pork, chillies, fennel seed and chopped herbs. Brown the meat and then add the tomatoes, wine and puree. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
Place a generous spoonful of Ragu in each of the pancakes and fold the ends and roll them up before placing in an oven dish. When the pancakes have been stuffed and laid out sprinkle over the cheeses and bake for 45 minutes in an oven at about 180oC.
Serve with salad and a glass of red.
For pudding – what else – Pancakes!!
