The Good Old Days
Spinach and ricotta pancake cannelloni
Looking through a pile of my mother’s cookbooks the other day, I came across an old favourite, The Des Britten Cookbook. The plastic cover has been melted off in a half circle where someone obviously put down something hot, and the pages are splattered with food stains. Des would be proud I’m sure, to see his book so well used. Des (nowadays Father Des of the Wellington City Mission) is on the cover, looking rather dapper I thought, despite the red and grey nylon shirt and the pageboy haircut, smiling from ear to ear. My daughter thinks he looks like a nerd, but never mind that; he could always cook like a maestro.
Many of my parents’ dinner parties in the 70s and 80s were comprised of Des Britten’s recipes, and I can remember some pretty impressive creations, like whole pumpkin soup presented in its shell, which served as a tureen. The pièce de résistance of the time was Beef Wellington, in all its golden-pastried glory, or seafood, with a mornay sauce, snugly wrapped in pancakes and baked.
So much time, love and effort went into those meals, and they were truly enjoyed. A recipe from Des’s cookbook for ham-and-gruyere-filled crepes (Delice Fromage) was one of the first I remember making, and it used what I felt then were rather exotic ingredients.
The great thing about a dish like this is that all the preparation is done beforehand and the only thing left to do is to run the dish under the hottest grill your oven can muster. A crisp salad on the side, and you have the perfect lunch—tasty, impressive and so very adaptable.
Any child who has enjoyed a plate of pancakes with lemon and sugar for breakfast will probably request them again every weekend. Crepes Suzette on a menu used to signify that you were dining in the very best of establishments, and what a show they were, flamed at your table! All a bit passé now, and not at all tempting unless you feel confident that the restaurant knows what it’s doing. The aroma of singed eyebrows is not a good one.
I prefer to cook pancakes in a non-stick 20cm pan using unsalted butter. They suit sweet fillings and sauces (berries, chocolate, nuts, poached fruits, maple syrup etc) as much as savoury ingredients. These options are endless and could include smoked salmon, cheese, ham, mushrooms, seafood, chicken….
Des Britten’s recipe for pancakes is the best I know, and here it is.
Crepes
1½ cups of flour
A pinch of salt and sugar
2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks
150ml milk
150ml water
Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt and sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add all the eggs at once. Using a wire whisk, slowly bring in the flour just a little at a time. When the mixture becomes too thick to whisk, add a little milk. Continue doing this until all the flour and milk is mixed in. Don’t add too much liquid at the start or you will end up with lumps. At this stage, thin out the mixture with water until you have the consistency of runny cream. Leave to stand for three hours.
Now practice makes perfect, so get yourself all set up before starting. Before you know it you’ll be flipping them around like Julia Child. Have some non-stick paper ready to place between the pancakes as they come out of the pan if you plan to freeze them, otherwise they should stack up just fine on a plate. As long as you remain at your station and watch each pancake, you will be rewarded for your dedication. You need heat, (not too low and not too high) a little butter swirled around the pan, a ladle full of mixture, then a gentle tilt of the pan to spread the mixture out. Allow them to become light brown before flipping or turning with a palate knife or fish slice. Cook the other side and remove to a plate. Thin the mixture with a little more water if necessary to maintain that runny cream consistency.
Spinach and ricotta pancake cannelloni
Make 12 pancakes as per the above recipe.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wilt two 120g bags of washed spinach in a pan. Mix together in a food processor 500g ricotta, four finely chopped spring onions, two crushed cloves of garlic, half a cup of grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Add the spinach and stir it through. Place a spoonful of mixture on each pancake and roll to enclose the filling.
Spread 500g homemade tomato sauce in a baking dish and arrange the rolled pancakes in a row on top. Sprinkle with 250g grated mozzarella and two extra tablespoons of grated Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
For the recipe using ham and cheese, you will wonder how anything so simple can taste so good. Simply lay out one pancake per person. Spread lightly with a little Dijon mustard. On each, place some thinly sliced ham, enough to almost cover the pancake. Down the centre, pile three to four tablespoons of grated Gruyere cheese. Roll it up so it resembles a fat cigar. Place in a grilling dish big enough to take all your pancakes side by side. Top each with some more grated cheese and finally drizzle a tablespoon of cream over each. This can all be done in advance.
Now heat your grill as hot as it will go. Cook the pancakes until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Fiona Feasey
