Pancake day savoury special...

Ingredients - serves 4

pancake batter:
150g plain flour
30g grated parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
350ml milk
olive oil to fry

filling:
450g ricotta cheese
50g parmesan cheese
200g spinach, cooked, squeezed & chopped
8 rashers bacon
salt, pepper
a grating of nutmeg

tomato sauce:
2 x tins chopped tomatoes
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp sugar
salt, pepper

2 tbsp chopped parsley/basil

Method

Place flour, salt and parmesan in a large bowl and make a well in the centre, add the eggs and whisk to draw together. Gradually add the milk, whisking hard to make sure there are no lumps, cover and leave to stand. It should be the thickness of pouring cream, if too thick add a little more milk, or water.

Cook the spinach by blanching in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain and squeeze out excess water then chop. Chop the bacon into lardons and dry fry to cooked. In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, parmesan, chopped spinach and bacon - and season to taste with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Set aside.

Make a basic tomato sauce by first sweating the shallot and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, some salt, pepper and the sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for about 20 minutes to thicken then set aside.

Pre heat the oven to 180°C
Oil a heavy frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and place over a medium heat. Pour in a ladleful of batter and swirl it round the pan to cover the base. Once the underneath is lightly coloured and the pancake comes away from the sides easily, turn it over and give the other side just enough time to brown. Take the pancake out of the pan and lay on a plate. Repeat until you have 8 good pancakes, stacking them up as they come out of the pan.

Now spoon an eighth of the filling into the centre of a pancake, fold the ends in and roll into a parcel before transferring to a buttered baking dish. Do the same with all pancakes, fitting them snugly alongside each other in one layer. Pour over the tomato sauce and bake the stuffed pancakes for 20-30 minutes until bubbling. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve immediately with salad.