Savoury parsnip pancakes, lemon whipped ricotta and tarragon, walnut pesto
Fluffy savoury pancakes with a punchy nutty pesto and cool zesty ricotta finish. Perfect for brunch, lunch or tea.
| serves 4 |
For the pancakes
2 medium parsnips
knob of butter (or olive oil)
200ml milk (cow, goat, almond, cashew or oat – I wouldn’t recommend coconut milk with this recipe)
1tsp sea salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
100g spelt flour (you can also use gluten free or a standard plain flour)
1 tsp baking powder
For the lemon whipped ricotta & tarragon, walnut pesto
1 lemon
100g ricotta (more if you like)
100g walnuts (toasted on a dry baking tray for 10 mins in a 180° oven)
handful of fresh basil (stems incuded)
handful of fresh thyme leaves
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
METHOD
Peel your parsnips and chop them into roughly 2cm pieces. Transfer to a medium sized saucepan along with a good knob of butter and a pinch of sea salt and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until your parsnips are soft. You may need to add some water to stop them from browning too much. I usually add about 100ml.Once your parsnips are cool pour over your milk and add your tsp of sea salt. Blend either by transferring everything to your nutri-bullet container (it should fit in the larger cup perfectly), blender or using a stick blender. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow the mix to cool.Whilst this cools make your pesto and ricotta. Zest your lemon into a medium bowl, add your ricotta and whip using a fork until you have a smooth consistency. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.For the pesto roughly chop your basil – leaves and stems. Transfer to a food processor along with your toasted walnuts, tarragon, garlic and the juice of the lemon. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse until broken down but still full of texture.I like a rough pesto. To achieve what I’ve made here be sure not to over pulse. Transfer your pesto from the food processor into a bowl and add your seasoning and more oil if needed here. This avoids the pesto losing all of its texture. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.When your parsnip mix has cooled add in your eggs and whisk to combine.Sift in your flour and baking powder and gently whisk until just incorporated. For a fluffy pancake be sure not to over whisk, there should be a few lumps remaining.Heat another knob of butter or a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and drop a heaped desert spoonful of the mix. Allow it to cook for 2-2.5 minutes before flipping and cooking for a further two minutes. You should see little bubbled forming just before you flip.I always advise to cook just one pancake at first to ensure get the temperature right (the first pancake is never perfect. After that you should be able to get three in at a time. Place your cooked pancakes on a plate in a lightly heated oven or under a dry cloth until you are ready to serve.Plate with the lemon whopped ricotta and pesto atop or in little bowls. I like to add some freshly ground black pepper and a little olive oil too.
