Pancakes and syrup. It’s one of those classic combinations like burger and fries, peanut butter and jelly and mac ‘n cheese. So what happens when you take away the syrup leaving that poor little ‘ole pancake all on its lonesome?
Hey, who said it had to be lonesome? I mean what is a pancake, anyway? It’s a round cake made from a batter. Make it paper-thin and it’s a crêpe in France. Germany’s got pfannkuchen (literally “pan” and “cake”). Make it with chickpea flour and you’ve got a socca. In the U.S. we’ve got hotcakes, griddlecakes, johnnycakes and flapjacks. And zip over to Russia – as you do – and you’ve got those cute little blinis just crying out for some caviar and a nice cold shot of vodka…but we digress.
The point is that pancakes are like blank canvases – you can put whatever you like on them. Heck, you can go one better – you can put whatever you like in them. And before you get all “but pancakes are for breakfast” just stop. Pancakes are breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And we’ll prove it. Our Blue Corn Chile Cakes are great 24/7. We’ve added grated zucchini and corn kernels to the batter but you could slip in sliced scallions and bits of sautéed shrimp. Try topping them with shredded chicken, salsa and a big dollop of guacamole. You can’t go wrong (okay you can but it’s pretty darn tough). And if you’ve got folks coming over for brunch, this is a natural.
Blue Corn Chile Cakes with Goat’s Cheese & Sun-blushed Tomatoes
Serves 3-4
You can use regular pancake mix for this recipe but you’ll miss out on that amazing blue corn crunch. If you do, you’ll need about 2 cups of batter for the recipe.
1½ cups Los Chileros blue corn waffle and pancake mix
1 tsp chipotle chile
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
1 cup corn kernels
¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley
1-2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oilTo garnish:
crumbled goat’s cheese
sun blushed tomatoes
pine nuts
In a bowl, mix together the pancake mix with the chipotle chile, egg and milk. Fold in the zucchini, corn and cilantro or parsley. Heat a skillet or frying pan and add a tablespoon of the oil. Pour about ¼ cup batter onto the skillet for each pancake. When the surface of the pancake begins to bubble slightly, flip and finish cooking. Keep the pancakes warm. Add more oil as needed and cook the remaining cakes.
Serve hot, topped with the goat’s cheese, sun blushed tomatoes and pine nuts.
I was wondering if “Blue Corn” was the name of a brand!? Here in France we’re not used to this variety.
See you, Anne.
Hi Anne, Blue Corn is a description of the corn. It is actually Blue instead of the yellow or white corn you typically see. Los Chileros is the brand. Blue Corn has a nuttier flavor than the other corn. Los Chileros offers it several ways. If you make blue corn popcorn, the result is a white kernel; not blue. But if you are using it for baking or cooking, it retains its dark color. I hope this helps,