Red beetroot pancakes with creamy mushrooms
AuthorZjefCategoryMain dishDifficultyIntermediateWhoever still thinks that pancakes can only be sweet has certainly never traveled through Brittany. This region on the French west coast is known for both their sweet pancakes (crêpes) and savoury pancakes (galettes bretonnes). They traditionally make the latter based on just three ingredients: buckwheat flour (farine de sarrasin/blé noir), water and salt. They fill their wafer-thin pancakes with all kinds of savoury seasonings and serve them on the most beautiful terraces along with some apple cider, traditionally served in cups. While studying for a year in Rennes (the capital city of Brittany), I became a big fan. Savoury pancakes as a main course? Yes please! These pancakes are therefore an ode to the Breton pancakes, but with a twist of its own.
Red beetroots can sometimes have a very long cooking time (especially winter beetroots). That's why many supermarkets sell them pre-cooked and vacuum-packed. But this dish changes everything. By blending the raw beets through the pancake batter, they are done in no time. Their earthy taste also goes very well with the taste of buckwheat. And they give these pancakes a beautiful colour. The creamy mushrooms add some deliciously rich umami flavours. A simple dish, but definitely a must try!
Ingredients
Directions
Dice the beetroots. Cut them small enough for your blender or hand blender to get them all mixed into the batter.
Add all the ingredients for the pancakes in the blender and blend until smooth. You could also do this with a hand blender, but make sure to cut the beets small enough first. In that case, the batter might also remain slightly more fibrous.
Let the batter rest in the fridge for half an hour. This gives the starches time to absorb the moisture, which will smoothen the batter even more, resulting in finer pancakes.
Chop the onion and sautée in a large pan with a dash of oil until translucent.
Meanwhile, brush the mushrooms. Never rinse your mushrooms with water: if you do that, they will absorb the moisture and release it during baking. As a result, your mushrooms are cooked instead of baked. All you have to do is brush away the dirty bits.
Then cut the mushrooms into slices.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and bake them together with the onion. Make sure to leave enough space in the pan so that the moisture present in the mushrooms has a chance to evaporate. If necessary, you can bake them in two times.
Add the pressed garlic and stir well.
As soon as the mushrooms start to caramelise, add the soy cream. Stir well and let it reduce for a while. Finish to taste with a dash of soy sauce, freshly ground black pepper and salt.
Place a pancake pan with a good non-stick coating on a high heat and let it heat up well. Grease a little oil if necessary.
Get the pancake batter out of your fridge. Mix once again to make sure you don't have any sediment at the bottom. If the batter is still too thick you can add a little more water and mix it through. Pour a small layer of batter into the pan. Then turn around the pan to cover the entire bottom with the batter.
When the top is dried out, turn the pancake over. To do so, a silicone baking spatula can help to loosen the pancake from the pan.
Let it bake on the other side for a minute or so and then put it on a plate. Repeat until all the pancakes are baked. By stacking the pancakes you prevent them from drying out and keep them nicely warm and flexible.
Serve the pancakes with the filling and finish with some fresh garden herbs like finely chopped parsley, chives or dill.
Variations: For extra vegetables, you can also add some chopped courgette or spinach along with the mushrooms. These pancakes are also delicious with a creamy herb spread like Oatly creamy oat spread garlic & cucumber (not sponsored). In that case, leave out the soy cream and just finish with baked mushrooms.
Ingredients
Directions
Dice the beetroots. Cut them small enough for your blender or hand blender to get them all mixed into the batter.
Add all the ingredients for the pancakes in the blender and blend until smooth. You could also do this with a hand blender, but make sure to cut the beets small enough first. In that case, the batter might also remain slightly more fibrous.
Let the batter rest in the fridge for half an hour. This gives the starches time to absorb the moisture, which will smoothen the batter even more, resulting in finer pancakes.
Chop the onion and sautée in a large pan with a dash of oil until translucent.
Meanwhile, brush the mushrooms. Never rinse your mushrooms with water: if you do that, they will absorb the moisture and release it during baking. As a result, your mushrooms are cooked instead of baked. All you have to do is brush away the dirty bits.
Then cut the mushrooms into slices.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and bake them together with the onion. Make sure to leave enough space in the pan so that the moisture present in the mushrooms has a chance to evaporate. If necessary, you can bake them in two times.
Add the pressed garlic and stir well.
As soon as the mushrooms start to caramelise, add the soy cream. Stir well and let it reduce for a while. Finish to taste with a dash of soy sauce, freshly ground black pepper and salt.
Place a pancake pan with a good non-stick coating on a high heat and let it heat up well. Grease a little oil if necessary.
Get the pancake batter out of your fridge. Mix once again to make sure you don't have any sediment at the bottom. If the batter is still too thick you can add a little more water and mix it through. Pour a small layer of batter into the pan. Then turn around the pan to cover the entire bottom with the batter.
When the top is dried out, turn the pancake over. To do so, a silicone baking spatula can help to loosen the pancake from the pan.
Let it bake on the other side for a minute or so and then put it on a plate. Repeat until all the pancakes are baked. By stacking the pancakes you prevent them from drying out and keep them nicely warm and flexible.
Serve the pancakes with the filling and finish with some fresh garden herbs like finely chopped parsley, chives or dill.