Making pancakes is so easy! Here is a quick 2 minute video showing you how to make perfect whole wheat pancakes.
When I think of pancakes, the first thing that comes to mind is a dab of butter melting on top of the warm stack then swimming in a river of natural maple syrup. Or, I think of garden strawberries :: fragole and mountain blueberries dropped on a pillow of fresh whipped cream. Either way, I associate pancakes with sweet flavors.
Yet, pancakes are so versatile and one of the best ways to enjoy them are with savory flavors or a blend of sweet and savory, like this recipe. I’ve paired the arugula :: rucola which is quite bitter with the sweetness of the pear. I’ve thrown in some walnuts to give the dish a nice contrast between soft and crunchy. And, I’ve topped everything off with a creamy gorgonzola and crème fraîche dressing to simulate maple syrup. Drooling yet?
I’ve used this whole pancake recipe that is already on the site because after experimenting a lot with different recipes this is one that works great for me. Read that post for more tips and tricks, and always remember this important fact: flours absorb liquid differently. I’ve had my Italian friends ask me why certain pancake recipes that they had found on the internet didn’t work for them and my guess is that they didn’t adjust the liquid correctly. The indications below are subjective. You may need to add a bit more liquid to your mixture :: miscela or it may be the right quantity. The key for success is that the batter must easily drip off your spoon. This tip is obviously for thin pancakes, which is recommended for my whole wheat recipe; otherwise, you risk that the pancake will be too tough.
For the creamy gorgonzola and crème fraîche topping you can use a blend like I did, because I had both on hand; otherwise, feel free to use one or the other.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Have a wonderful weekend!
Pancakes with Arugula, Gorgonzola, Pear and Walnuts
You’re weekend brunch recipe has arrived: Pancakes with Arugula, Gorgonzola, Pears and Walnuts.
Serves: 3-9
Ingredients
For the whole wheat pancakes:
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar or lemon juice)
1 cup (125g) whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
2 teaspoons (8g) sugar
1 teaspoon (4g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
½ teaspoon (3g) salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
Butter, as needed
For the topping:
3.5 oz (100g) gorgonzola
3.5 oz (100g) crème fraîche
1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
2 handfuls arugula, washed and dried
4 walnuts, shelled and chopped
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Balsamic vinegar, as needed
Instructions
For the whole wheat pancakes:
In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
Add the the melted butter and egg to the milk and vinegar mixture and mix well. Combine the two mixtures and stir until just combined, lumps are fine. For a thin pancake, the batter should run off the spoon. If the batter is too thick add a splash of milk or water. I recommend thin pancakes because thick ones may turn out tough when using all whole wheat flour.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a small knob of butter rotating the skillet so that it covers the bottom. Using a ¼ cup (59ml) measuring cup or ice cream scoop, measure out the batter and pour it in the skillet. Depending on your pan size, you’ll be able to fit 2-3 pancakes at a time.When lots of bubbles form on the top use a spatula to peek underneath. If the bottom is golden brown flip the pancake. Do not press down on the pancake with the spatula. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the bottom is golden brown.
Add another small knob of butter and repeat these steps until you have cooked all nine pancakes.
For the topping:
With an immersion hand blender, blend the gorgonzola and crème fraîche together.
In a small bowl, dress the arugula with a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
Put one or more pancakes on a plate, top with the arugula followed by the gorgonzola mixture, pears and walnuts. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Buon appetito!
Notes
If you don't have crème fraîche you can just use gorgonzola. The servings 3-9 depends if you serve 3 pancakes per person or only 1 per person.
It’s a sunny :: soleggiante February Monday morning in Rome, but I am in an over air-conditioned Italian TV studio. I find my hands shaking and my stomach fluttering with butterflies as my lips tremble in an awkward, unnatural smile towards the various cameras pointing at my caked on make-up face. Why am I so nervous to return on the La Prova del Cuoco? I was on this live Italian TV show for an entire week in September. Get it together, Cindy. I tell myself.
I woke up at 4:30a.m. with a startling nightmare: I was watching myself on stage, my mouth was opening but no words in Italian would flow out. I’m still tired even after having drunk three espressos; that wasn’t the best idea, I feel jittery :: agitata. Stay calm, Cindy. Stay calm and breath. The show is about to start. I squint my eyes at the bright lights and try to hold my lips wide so they don’t noticeably shake. My eyes are becoming irritated—too much eyeliner and mascara. I hate TV make-up. All of Italy is about to watch me, criticize my thick American accent and grammatical mistakes and judge my every move as well as my recipe choice. Oh, God. Why did I choose to make Salmon Wraps with Kale Chips? They’re absolutely delicious…but no match for my competitor’s dish…mouthwatering Phad Thai. I would vote for her dish….I love Phad Thai. I mean really really love Phad Thai. It’s the first thing I eat when I go back to America to visit family and friends. Oh man, I’m going to get schooled. I place my hands on the counter, trying to appear relaxed as I wait for Antonella Clerici, one of Italy’s most famous presenters, to introduce me to the home audience.
My knees begin to shake :: tremare. I already know I’ve lost. Don’t be melodramatic, Cindy. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses, you’re on the most popular Italian television cooking show! That in itself is quite an accomplishment that most new bloggers don’t get. My inner positive voice says trying to cheer me up, but it’s a little too late; I’ve lost my focus. All the questions and key phrases I rehearsed the days before disappear. All of my reminders of talking slow, giving short responses and communicating interesting information get disregarded like streamers after a party—stuffed in bag and thrown in the trash, never to be seen again.
So I do what I do best when I’m nervous: talk too much and extremely fast. Actually, I do that normally; I am quite the chatterbox :: chiacchierona. Yet, this time on TV, it wasn’t just chatterbox Cindy, but turbo speed Cindy….in Italian. Oh dear. Poor poor home audience, I feel sorry for you.
Long story short: I didn’t do my best, I lost the competition, and I self pitied myself for half a day lounging around the house in pajamas eating Nutella on toast and watching funny American sitcoms; then I got over it. Don’t get me wrong, losing sucks; but, that wasn’t the cause for my downer mood. Losing is part of the game, any former athlete knows this. The thing that stings my pride is that I know that I didn’t domy best.Regardless if the judges :: giudici liked my recipe, I know I could have expressed myself better in Italian on live TV. On a positive note, I now know what to work on, and this experience will only make me a better on-camera presenter.
Plus, I can’t complain, there were many other exceptional things that came out of the day: I met two amazing and talented bloggers, Vatinee Suvimol, my competitor and blogger at A Thai Pianistand Natalia Cattelani, one of the judges and blogger at Tempo di Cottura; I got to cook again with the sensational Antonella Clerici; I worked with the wonderful staff on the show (thank you Valeria and Nicoletta) and I got to hang out with my two girlfriends photographer Michelle Aschbacher and life style blogger Sara Whitewho are expats like me and live in Rome. Talking of amazing gals, Vatinee also introduced me to an incredible group of new girlfriends, Le Bloggalline, a group of over 400 women food bloggers who got each others backs. I am still overwhelmed with gratitude on all of the sweet and kind messages many of them left me. Women are the salt of the earth. A big thanks to everyone who voted and supported me.
Although, these salmon wraps didn’t win on La Prova del Cuoco, they are still winners in my mind. This recipe showcases a lighter version of some of my favorite Pacific Northwest flavors: salmon and tartar sauce. I despise mayonnaise so I’ve lightened it up by using greek yogurt. Sitting on a bed of spinach and cuddled by some avocado slices is a delicious herb-rubbed salmon topped with crunchy almond slivers for a delicious and satisfying good ol’ American wrap.
These salmon wraps are light, flavorful and simple to prepare. Eat them on the go for lunch with some crispy kale chips or serve them with a side salad for a healthy dinner.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the salmon:
2 fillets of salmon (about 6 ounces (175g) each)
Extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ tablespoon of lemon zest
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
½ clove garlic, finely chopped
For the greek yogurt sauce:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
6 tablespoons greek yogurt
½ tablespoon capers, desalinated
¼ lemon, juiced
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Other ingredients:
2 tortillas
½ ripe avocado
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the salmon fillet on top and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil. Put all the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl, mix and spread on top of the salmon fillet. Bake for around 8-12 minutes.
In the meantime, put all the ingredients for the greek yogurt together in a bowl. Mix and set aside.
Toss the spinach with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Heat the tortilla in a medium sized pan for a few seconds then remove and set on two plates. Divide the spinach mixture between the two tortillas and divide the salmon and sauce. Wrap the tortilla like a burrito. Enjoy.
All Italians know about the traditional American apple pie but many have never heard of apple crisp, another classic American dessert. It is also a British favorite known as apple crumble. The beauty of this recipe is in its versatility: you can use apples or substitute with various other fruits like rhubarb, peaches, pears or berries.
The soft sweet baked apples contrast with the crunchy topping made of flour, oats, nuts and spices. It is common to serve this dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I am an ice cream addict, so I do this all the time; however, if you want to keep the integrity of the crunchy topping, a drizzle of warm salted caramel is the perfect solution.
Although Americans may find it strange to see apple crisp or apple pie on the table for brunch, since living in Italy, I have become accustomed to eating sweets for breakfast. Not to say that we Americans never eat sweets for breakfasts, quite the contrary, as we often have coffee cake, sweet breads,,, pancakes, scones and muffins, but for some weird reason it’s hard to find pie, cupcakes, cakes or chocolate on dessert menus—they are considered desserts. Since I am italicana, I say go for it. I think it is completely acceptable to eat your apple crisp when you want: for breakfast, a snack or for dessert! Enjoy!
This stovetop apple crisp with salted caramel sauce takes the classic recipe to a whole new level.
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the apples:
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon (20shakes, 10pinches)
1 teaspoon (4g) sugar
2 tablespoons (28g) butter
For the crumble:
2 tablespoons (22g) flour
2 tablespoons (16g) oats
2 pinches cinnamon
2 tablespoons (24g) dark brown sugar
2 walnuts, chopped
8 almonds, chopped
2 pinches salt
4 tsp (20g) unsalted butter
For the salted caramel:
3 tablespoons (50g) sugar
2 tablespoons butter (28g) butter
2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream
¼ tsp salt
Vanilla ice cream, optional
Instructions
Put all of the ingredients for the apple mixture in a small saucepan and cook over medium high for 5-7 minutes or until the apples are tender. Stir often.
In the meantime, prepare the crumble. In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients for the crumble. Transfer the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter has melted and the nuts are lightly golden. Remove from the heat.
Now prepare the salted caramel. In a small saucepan cook the sugar over medium heat, keeping it constantly stirred with a rubber spatula.
When the sugar has completely melted and is an amber color, add the butter. Be careful as the butter will try to bubble up out of the saucepan. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly stir the heavy cream into the saucepan. The mixture will also try to bubble up again so be careful.
Divide the apple mixture among two bowls, then top with the crumble mixture, salted caramel and ice cream, if desired.
A basket of burger and fries is a classic American meal; yet, for those who are health conscience, vegetarian or vegan :: vegano it doesn’t mean you have to miss out. These mini lentil and chickpea burgers are so good that even meat eaters will love them.
Hamburgers aren’t about tasting the meat; if you wanted to do that, you would eat a steak :: bistecca or just the patty. The star of hamburgers are the toppings and sauces: crisp iceberg lettuce, juicy red tomatoes and mustard, ketchup or mayo slathered on top—and this is just the most basic. Nowadays consumers want more complex flavor options on their hamburgers and veggie burgers like caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, spicy jalapeños, buttery avocado or foreign cheeses like Gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano or Gruyere.
Lentils and chickpeas :: ceci are the perfect substitution for a meat patty. Not only do they have a subtle flavor that won’t overwhelm the other toppings, but they also have a perfect texture that is soft when bitten into, yet doesn’t fall apart on the bun.
In addition to the toppings listed above, other great healthy options are:
These vegetarian and vegan mini lentil and chickpea burgers are so good that even meat eaters will love them!
Serves: Makes 18 mini patties; serves 4-6 people
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons water
One 410g (240g) can of lentils (1½ cups), drained and rinsed
Two 300g (220g) cans chickpeas (2½ cups), drained and rinsed
½ cup (50g) rolled oats
½ cup (60g) bread crumbs
18 mini hamburger buns
Instructions
Heat oil in a skillet over medium eat then ad the garlic and onion, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, salt, pepper and water. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the water has absorbed, about 5-6 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and add the lentils and chickpeas. Blend until combined. Add the oats and blend for another minute.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs. Form into 18 mini patties. You can either heat the patties in the skillet until the patties are warm or add ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and then cook the patties so they brown on either side; about 3-4 minutes per side.
Cut the mini hamburger buns in half and heat them in the oven. Serve the mini lentil and chickpea burgers with toppings and sauces of choice.
Do you love peanut butter? Do you love Nutella? Ever thought of blending them together to make a mouthwatering peanut butter and Nutella ice cream sandwich?
One of the things I absolutely love about living a culturally split life, is the fact that I can blend both worlds in the kitchen to fulfil both my native and acquired hunger cravings. Peanut butter :: burro di arachidi was a staple in my all-American childhood and still continues to be one of my best friends today, well, that was until I moved to Italy nearly 5 years ago and Nutella took the place at the end of my spoon :: cucchiaio. For all you Nutella virgins, this delicious smooth sauce is a blend of chocolate and hazelnut flavors with a variety of uses much like peanut butter: slather it on toast, swirl it into gelato or eat spoonfuls straight out of the jar :: barratolo. (Anyone else guilty of this?)
What would the world be like without peanut butter….Nutella….or ice cream?
So to appease my indecisive taste buds I decided to combine these two delicious spreads to create a heavenly ital-american dessert :: dolce. These peanut butter and Nutella cookies can be eaten alone, or as this recipe calls for, as a melt-in-your-mouth ice cream sandwich :: panino.
Tie some twine around these cookies and give as presents to family and friends.
::Did you know?::
In America we often ask for a “panini” to intend “sandwich”. The phrase, “May I have a sun dried tomato and pesto panini, please?” is wrong. In this context you are asking for many sandwiches, not just one. I won’t go into an elaborate Italian grammar explanation, just remember that: panino=1, panini=more than one.
Peanut butter and Nutella combine to make a decadent dessert.
::Did you know?::
As we know in America, we typically pay per scoop :: pallina of ice cream. If we want one or more flavors we usually need to pay for them individually.When you order gelato at a gelateria, an Italian gelato shop, on the other hand, you always have the option to have multiple flavors in one cup/cone for the same price :: prezzo. For instance, in a small cup/cone you can have two flavors and a medium cup/cone three flavors etc. When you order a to-go container, this rule also applies and you get to pick up to six flavors per container; talk about amazing…especially for people who like to have loads of flavor options. It’s also great for this recipe as you can have a variety of gelato sandwiches without having to have 6 different ice cream tubs in your freezer!
These ice cream sandwiches are too good to resist!
Mouthwatering Peanut Butter and Nutella Ice Cream Sandwiches
Do you love peanut butter? Do you love Nutella? Ever thought of blending them together to make a mouthwatering peanut butter and Nutella ice cream sandwich? Keep these ice cream sandwiches on hand in the freezer as treats for the kids or an easy and delicious dessert for dinner parties that you can make ahead for a stress-free dessert. These are also gluten free.
Serves: 26 cookies (13 gelato panini)
Ingredients
For the cookies:
2 cups all natural peanut butter
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons Nutella
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean ( or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
For the ice cream and decorating:
Ice cream or gelato, flavor of choice
Chocolate chips, sprinkles or nuts (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the cookie ingredients in the order given and mix together with a hand mixer until the ingredients are combined. To open the vanilla bean, simply slice down one side and scrape out the tiny beans with a dull knife.
3. Roll the mixture into walnut sized balls and set them on the lined baking sheet. Using a fork, make multiple criss crosses on the ball to flatten each ball.
4. Bake for 10-12 minute in a ventilated oven, or until the edges are gold brown. Let the cookies cool on a baking rack.
5. Take the ice cream or gelato out of the freezer and let it thaw until it is just soft enough to scoop. Put the chocolate chips, sprinkles and nuts in separate shallow bowls (put a small amount and continue to add more when needed). Spoon a spoonful of ice cream on the bottom side of the cookie and top with the bottom side of another cookie to create a ice cream sandwich (in other words, the flat parts of the cookie should be touching the ice cream.)
6. Roll the edges in one of the dry toppings, wrap with plastic wrap and immediately put the cookie into the freezer. Repeat. Allow the ice cream sandwiches to rest in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before eating otherwise the soften ice cream will come out the sides when you take a bite. Unwrap the needed amount and serve immediately.
Yet, pancakes are so versatile and one of the best ways to enjoy them are with savory flavors or a blend of sweet and savory, like this recipe. I’ve paired the arugula :: rucola which is quite bitter with the sweetness of the pear. I’ve thrown in some walnuts to give the dish a nice contrast between soft and crunchy. And, I’ve topped everything off with a creamy gorgonzola and crème fraîche dressing to simulate maple syrup. Drooling yet?
I’ve used this whole pancake recipe that is already on the site because after experimenting a lot with different recipes this is one that works great for me. Read that post for more tips and tricks, and always remember this important fact: flours absorb liquid differently. I’ve had my Italian friends ask me why certain pancake recipes that they had found on the internet didn’t work for them and my guess is that they didn’t adjust the liquid correctly. The indications below are subjective. You may need to add a bit more liquid to your mixture :: miscela or it may be the right quantity. The key for success is that the batter must easily drip off your spoon. This tip is obviously for thin pancakes, which is recommended for my whole wheat recipe; otherwise, you risk that the pancake will be too tough.
For the creamy gorgonzola and crème fraîche topping you can use a blend like I did, because I had both on hand; otherwise, feel free to use one or the other.
