Pancakes for lunch. Mmmmm.....

Today is Shrove Tuesday, and it wouldn't seem proper to not eat pancakes at some point today.  And whilst I do love the fluffy American buttermilk ones for breakfast, 'pancake day' always calls for thin crepes.  I decided the kids could have savoury ones with sliced chorizo and grated cheese for lunch.  Yum!

I am amazed at the array of pre-made pancakes and batter mixes that can be bought.  Why buy when they are so simple to make at home?  I follow a very simple rule when it comes to making pancakes and don't weigh my ingredients....  I use a measuring jug.  All you need to make ten 6" pancakes is 2 large eggs, 150 ml semi-skimmed milk (approx), 125 g plain flour (approx), 2 tbsp melted butter, a pinch of salt and some sunflower oil for frying.

• Crack your eggs into your measuring jug and beat lightly with a fork.  Check how many mls of egg you have.  Two large eggs is roughly 150 ml.
• Pour in the same volume of milk, and the same volume again of flour, and a pinch of salt.  Beat until smooth then stir in 1 tbsp of melted butter per large egg.

It really is that simple.  Eggs can vary in size and not having to get out the weighing scales is a brilliant time-saver.  If you don't have a measuring jug just use any cup, mug or bowl, first using it to see how much egg you have then just measure out the milk and flour to the same levels.  There's no need to rest your batter unless you're making Yorkshire puddings, so just get on with frying your pancakes.

A non-stick frying pan is essential, and a shallow, light one is even better.  I just use my omelette pan, which makes it a bit awkward to toss but this family loves pancakes so I'm used to it.  I always use sunflower oil but some prefer to fry with melted butter, but be warned, it can burn!  Use a brush to very lightly oil the pan, or a schrunched up piece of kitchen paper works just fine.  When you've ladled your mixture onto your pre-heated frying pan, don't be too impatient - they're not ready to toss or turn until they slide about freely at a shake of the pan.  You might need a few trial runs, but you'll soon get the hang of how hot the pan needs to be and how much batter you'll need =)

Hubby likes plain and simple lemon juice and sugar, but I like mine with chopped banana, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.  Yummy!

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