IN THE ROTATION: Magical Greens Pancakes

A great way to eat your vegetables!

Feb 24, 2023

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

These pancakes have a small amount of cottage cheese added for lightness and because I always keep it in the house. My favorite cottage cheese is a whipped, spreadable variety from Friendship. Use the driest cottage cheese you can find, or substitute crumbled feta for a different flavor. You could also omit it altogether. This recipe is indestructible!

8 ounces lacinato kale (about 1/2 bunch)
11-ounce package baby spinach
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whipped or dry curd cottage cheese
1/2 ounce (about 1/2 fluffy cup) Parmesan
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 scallions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons (scant 1/4 cup) roughly chopped dill
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil, for cooking

Strip the kale leaves from the stems and reserve the stems for another use. Wash the leaves and drain. It’s not necessary to spin dry.
Heat a large, deep saucepan or small soup pot over medium high heat and add the kale leaves, cramming them in if necessary. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover the pot and cook, turning with tongs once or twice until wilted, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander or sieve and rinse with cold water until cool.
Squeeze as much water as possible out of the kale. I like to form it into a ball and squeeze with all my might, and then wrap in a couple layers of paper towels or a clean dish towel and squeeze again. Repeat with the spinach, cooking, cooling, and draining in exactly the same way. Chop the kale and spinach medium-fine.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, Parmesan, flour, scallions, dill, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine thoroughly and add the chopped greens. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, and use a 1/3-cup measure to scoop up some of the mixture and add to the pan. Use the bottom of the cup or a spatula to flatten gently. Repeat twice, so that you are cooking a batch of 3. Cook for about 3 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom, turn and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium if they’re browning too fast. Add a little more oil to the pan and repeat with remaining mixture. (The second batch will go a little faster since the pan is hotter.)
Serve warm as a side dish or enjoy any leftovers with breakfast or lunch the next day!