Tahini, Cinnamon and Carob Pancakes
Serves 4
● 250g plain flour
● 2 tbsp caster sugar
● ½ tsp ground cinnamon
● ¼ tsp fine sea salt
● 500ml milk of your choice (oat and almond work well)
● 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
● 5 tbsp tahini
● 3 tbsp honey (or caster sugar)
● 2 tbsp carob syrup
● 2 bananas, optional
1 Place the flour in a mixing bowl and stir in the caster sugar, cinnamon and half the sea salt. Make a well in the middle and whisk in the milk and oil, until smooth; it should be the consistency of double cream – if it is a little thick, add a splash more milk. Leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour, if possible.
2 Boil the kettle and, in a small bowl, mix the tahini with 3–4 tablespoons of just-boiled water, until smooth. Stir in the honey, and the rest of the salt. Set aside.
3 When you are ready to make your pancakes, place a large, non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Drizzle in a touch of oil, and use kitchen paper to spread it over the pan; you don’t want too much oil, just enough to cover the base. When the pan is hot, ladle in the batter and tilt to cover the base. The first pancake often goes a bit wrong – chef’s perks for snacking – but it will help you figure out how much batter you need to cover your pan. Cook for a few minutes until lightly golden underneath, then flip over. Because there is no egg in the mixture, these don’t brown the way regular pancakes do, but you will know when they are ready. Cook for a further minute or two, then transfer to a plate. (You can either serve the pancakes as you go, drizzling with the sweetened tahini and then the carob syrup on top, or cook all the batter and keep the pancakes warm on a plate in a low oven.)
4 Repeat with all the batter, rubbing a little oil on the base of the pan every so often. If you’ve kept the pancakes warm as you’ve cooked them, arrange them on a platter and, when ready, drizzle the tahini and carob over the lot. I like them with sliced banana – I think it works well with the nutty tahini and rich carob – but try your own flavour combinations!
Taken from ‘Nistisima: The Secret To Delicious Vegan Cooking From The Mediterranean And Beyond’ by Georgina Hayden. Photography by Kristin Perers (£26, Bloomsbury Publishing)