All you ever wanted to know about pancakes (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

All you ever wanted to know about pancakes

2:24pm Sunday 3rd February 2008 in News

When was the last time you made pancakes?

A survey has revealed that this year less than half of people in the South West plan to make a pancake from scratch this Pancake Day.

Results revealed that this is because an estimated 1.2 million people in the region never know when Pancake Day is, and many are not familiar with preparation methods:

• 590,000 have never made them before
  
  
• 645,000 don't know which ingredients to use
  
  
• 545,000 aren't familiar with cooking times
  
  
• 500,000 are thought not to own the utensils to make them
  
  
• 470,000 are believed not have time to make them
  
  Though the pancake has featured in cook books from the 15th century traditional pancake-making knowledge and practice is in danger of disappearing completely from the home - as eating out continues to rise and fewer people cook in their own households
  
  Sandra Clegg, Home Economist for Morrisons supermaket said: "Pancakes are one of the easiest dishes to make. They can be healthy, nutritious, and with an endless variety of fillings are the perfect basis for a breakfast, lunch or dinner.

A survey of 1000 people found that less than half of people in the South West were planning to make a pancake from scratch. This comprised of more women than men, highlighting they had cooked them before and knew how to make them. Pancake making skills were much lower amongst the younger 16-24 year old generation, whose knowledge and practical experience in this area were much more limited.

The survey established that even though pancake-making at home has declined, people still had a great affection for eating them, with 85% of people from the region saying that they liked them. The most favoured toppings by respondents cited in the South West was still the more traditional sugar and lemon (62%) - with syrup (15%) and ice-cream (6%) coming a long way behind.

The Origins of the pancake

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent on Ash Wednesday. It is traditionally a feasting day. It was the perfect way to use up milk, butter and eggs before the 40 days of fasting from Lent up until Easter. On Shrove Tuesday Christians attended confession and were shriven' (absolved from their sins).

Do you have a pancake recipe you'd like to share? Use the comment box below

Pancake facts

• The largest number of pancakes tossed in the shortest amount of time in the UK is 349 tosses in 2 minutes (Dean Gould at Felixstowe, Suffolk, 14 January 1995).
  
  
• The longest pancake tossing race in the quickest time was held in Melbourne, Australia. Jan Stickland covered 384m in 59.5 seconds on 19 February 1995.
  
  
• The largest pancake ever made and flipped measured 15.01m wide, 2.5cm deep and weighed 3 tonnes (Rochdale, Greater Manchester, August 1994).
  
  
• The first recorded pancake race was in Olney, Buckinghamshire in 1445.
  
  
• The UK's favourite pancake toppings (Pancake Day Omnibus survey, TNS, 1022 adults 16-64, 29th 31st January 2008)
  
  Healthy pancake tips
  
  
• Use vegetable oil or low fat spread to make your pancakes
  
  
• Use semi-skimmed milk rather than full-fat
  
  
• Don't add too much salt to the batter
  
  
• Go easy on more traditional pancake fillers, such as full cream, sugar and syrup
  
  
• Try alternatives such as a squeeze of lemon, yoghurt or fromage frais
  
  Alternative fillers
  
  Why not try the following alternative fillers this Pancake Day (see Recipes below):
  
  
• Spicy prawn
  
  
• Ratatouille
  
  
• Spinach feta
  
  
• Tuna
  
  
• sweetcorn
  
  
• red pepper
  
  
• Creamy mushroom
  
  
• Apple
  
  
• ginger
  
  Seasonal fillers
  
  Or try a range of fillers seasonal to February:
  
  
• Rhubarb
  
  
• Leeks
  
  
• Oysters
  
  
• Bramley apples
  
  Recipes
  
  Spicy prawn pancakes
  
  Serves 2
  
  2 pancakes
  
  200g cooked peeled prawns
  
  200ml tub of fresh tomato salsa
  
  Mixed green salad to serve
  
  Mix prawns with tomato salsa.
  
  Lay one pancake on a plate, spoon half the prawn mixture over half then fold the other half over. Repeat the process with a second pancake. Serve with mixed green salad.
  
  Ratatouille pancakes
  
  Serves 2
  
  4 pancakes
  
  1 tbsp of olive oil
  
  1 onion, finely chopped
  
  1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
  
  1 small aubergine, diced
  
  1 courgette, sliced
  
  1 clove garlic, crushed
  
  400g can chopped tomatoes
  
  1 tbsp tomato puree
  
  Green salad, to serve
  
  Heat the oil in a saucepan, add onion and cook for 5mins. Add pepper, aubergine, garlic and courgette and cook for a further 5mins.
  
  Add chopped tomatoes and tomato puree and cook over a medium heat for 15mins.

Lay one pancake on a plate, spoon a quarter of the ratatouille mixture over one half of the pancake, then fold over other half over. Repeat the process with the remaining pancakes.

Transfer pancakes to an oven proof dish and cook in a preheated over at 200C for 10mins.

Spinach feta pancakes

Serves 2

4 pancakes

225g baby spinach, washed and roughly chopped

75g feta cheese, crumbled

Tomato salad to serve

Place spinach in large pan and cook until just wilted. Remove from the pan and add Feta cheese Lay one pancake on a plate, spoon a quarter of the spinach mixture over one half of the pancake, and then fold over other half over. Repeat the process with the remaining pancakes.

Transfer pancakes to an oven proof fish and cook in a preheated over at 200C for 10mins. Serve with a tomato salad.

Tuna, cheese, sweetcorn red pepper Serves 2

4 pancakes

200mls Eat Smart cheese sauce

200g can tuna in water

1/2 diced red pepper

3 tbps canned sweetcorn

Green salad to serve

Place cheese sauce and tuna in a saucepan and gently heat. Stir in red pepper and sweetcorn.

Lay one pancake on a plate, spoon a quarter of the cheese mixture over one half of the pancake, and then fold over other half over. Repeat the process with the remaining pancakes.

Transfer pancakes to an oven proof fish and cook in a preheated over at 200C for 10mins. Serve with a green salad.

Creamy Mushroom

Serves 2

4 pancakes

2tsp of vegetable oil

150g mushrooms, sliced

4 spring onions, finely chopped

150mls chicken stock

4tbps half fat crème fraiche

Coleslaw to serve

Heat oil in a large frying pan, add mushroom and spring onions and cook over a medium heat for 5mins. Add 150mls of chicken reduce the heat slightly and cook for 10min or until the liquid is reduced and thick and syrupy. Stir in the 4tbps half fat crème fraîche.

Lay one pancake on a plate, spoon a quarter of the mushroom mixture over one half of the pancake, and then fold over other half over. Repeat the process with the remaining pancakes.

Transfer pancakes to an oven proof fish and cook in a preheated over at 200C for 10mins. Serve with coleslaw.

Apple ginger pancakes Serves 2

2 pancakes

2 small cooking apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbsp caster sugar

1tsp finely chopped stem ginger

0% fat Greek yogurt to serve

Place apples in a saucepan with 2 tbsp of water and sugar and cook over a gently heat for about 10min, stirring occasionally. When the apples are soft and reduced to a pulp stir in chopped stem ginger.

Lay one pancakes on a plate, spoon half the apple over half then fold the other half over. Repeat the process with the second pancake. Serve with 0% fat Greek yoghurt