Snacks
Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups of flour, full to an inch below the brim
- 2 cups of milk full to the brim
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Method
- Add salt and flour to a blender or mixer.
- Add the eggs and start mixing.
- Add the milk slowly, ensuring the mix is lump-free.
- Melt a knob of butter on a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat, ensuring the base of the pan is coated.
- Pour about half a cup of batter into the centre and swirl to cover the pan. Fry until the top side has dried, flip and fry again.
- If doing batches, place the pancakes on a plate over a pot of simmering water, covered with a large pan lid to keep warm.
The possibilities are endless with pancakes. Personally, I keep it simple with a sprinkle of sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fruit can be added during cooking or as a topping or filling afterwards. Golden syrup is another firm favourite in our house. Put a Mars bar in a cup and place the cup in a couple of inches of water simmering in a pan to make a gorgeous choco-caramel drizzle.
Quick Quesadillas
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
A pizza tray or upturned saucepan lid makes it easier to transfer to the pan.
- 2 tortilla wraps
- Tomato relish
- Grated mozzarella cheese
- Chicken breast pieces (for the one pictured, I used Tesco chicken tikka breast pieces)
Method
- Pre-heat a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat.
- Spread relish on both wraps.
- Top one wrap with chicken and cheese and place the other wrap relish-side down on top.
- Carefully transfer to the frying pan (I actually make the quesadilla on a pizza tray and slide it on to the pan)
- Dry fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
- An alternative method is to half cover a wrap with the toppings, fold it over and either dry fry it, or pop it in the George Foreman, if you have one.
There are so many possibilities with this recipe. Use Cajun or Szechuan chicken instead of tikka. No mozzarella? Cheddar is just as good. Swap the tomato relish for a zingy jalapeño relish, red onion jam, a flavoured chutney or even pizza sauce.
Homemade Crisps
Sea salt and a bit of freshly ground black pepper make a delicious seasoning, but the options are limitless!
Makes 1 portion
Ingredients
- 1 potato
- 1 dessert spoon of olive oil
Method
- With a mandoline slicer, slice the potato into very thin slices from the long side of the spud to achieve larger crisps. Peeling is optional, but I prefer to simply wash, dry and slice.
- Place the slices in a bowl and add the olive oil. Separate and turn the slices to ensure that each slice is thinly coated in oil.
- Line a microwaveable plate with parchment or greaseproof paper and arrange the slices so that they don’t overlap.
- Microwave on full power for 2 minutes. Remove from oven, turn each crisp and return to microwave for another 2 minutes or until golden. (Times may vary depending on the power rating of your microwave oven)
- Remove from microwave and allow to stand on a cool surface for a couple of minutes to crisp up.
If you don’t have a mandoline, you can use a potato peeler or an extremely sharp knife to slice thin slivers. Some food processors have a slicer attachment, but I find they often don’t slice the potato thinly enough.