I’m starting a new feature on Susanality called “In the Rotation.” It’s a term we use a lot around our house. I’ve never cooked dinner as much in my entire life as I have in the last three years (like many of you, I suspect). So, in this series, I’ll share the dishes that rise to the top in my own kitchen and that are good enough to repeat over and over again. They’ll be little-fuss and quick-ish to pull together — many recipes you will likely be able to make that same day using ingredients that are already in your fridge and pantry (or would be easy to fetch from the store). My hope is that this series helps you more easily decide what’s for dinner (or lunch), and supplies you with recipes that you’ll come back to time and time again, as I have.
OK, now onto today’s dish!
These aren’t pancakes in the traditional sense. No, not at all. They are pancakes only in that they are flat and round, and cooked in a pan. They have just a tablespoon of flour, which you could easily omit. I only included it because the first time I made these, they were a tad runny in the pan, so I thought a little flour would help to bind them (and it did). A gluten-free flour would work well too.
I impressed myself with how much flavor these have with so few ingredients. And also how weirdly craveable they are, even cold from the fridge.
It all started when I was making what I thought was a kind of uninspired dinner last week. I had bought a whole chicken to roast because that always works, and I’m always happy to have the leftovers for lunches for a few days. I brought home some mushrooms with plans to make a version of my farro pilaf, and I knew we had various green vegetables in the produce drawer, but, as I said last week, I am growing tired of winter vegetables in their typical forms. As much as I love kale in raw salads, I wasn’t in the mood for a salad that night. And I don't get too excited by a pile of sautéed kale.
Then the idea for these pancakes started swirling around in my head. I knew what I wanted to end up with — a very green pancake just barely held together with egg. There were a couple of dishes that were subliminally inspiring me. One of them was Kuku Sabzi, the very herby frittata-esque dish usually eaten at Persian New Year. I was first introduced to Kuku when I made it for a catering job many years ago. Also in my mind was Okonomiyaki, the Japanese vegetable pancake for which I have a terrific recipe coming up for you in my new book Veg Forward. But what it tastes most like is spanakopita filling, with the dill complementing the spinach (which I also threw in). The kale gives it a pleasant chew.
The menu turned out to be especially enjoyable, and I’ll be making these “pancakes” often going forward. You could use any greens you have on hand, and even broccolini, which I almost did.
I urge you to try these — and to get them into your rotation!
P.S. I’d love to hear if anyone can get their kid or grandkid to eat it (and like it). I imagine calling it a pancake would increase your odds of getting them to eat some greens!
Magical Greens Pancakes
Makes 6