Spinach hotcakes and greens with feta, olives and almonds

Name: Spinach hotcakes and greens with feta, olives and almonds
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 250g baby spinach leaves; ¾ cup self-raising flour; 2 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp sea salt; 1 whole egg, whisked; 50g unsalted butter, melted; plus extra for frying; ¾ cup milk; 1 fresh green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; 3 spring onions, finely sliced; 1 egg white; ¼ cup crumbled feta, to serve; lemon wedges, to serve

Neil Perry

January 26, 2023

Breakfast, lunch or dinner: Spinach hotcakes.William Meppem

Time:< 30 minsServes:4

These spinach hotcakes are a perfect 'anytime-of-day' sort of meal. For non-vegetarians, they are really nice with smoked salmon on them and a herb salad. If you go with the salmon option, your probably don't need the cheese and nuts.

Ingredients

250g baby spinach leaves
¾ cup self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp sea salt
1 whole egg, whisked
50g unsalted butter, melted; plus extra for frying
¾ cup milk
1 fresh green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 egg white
¼ cup crumbled feta, to serve
lemon wedges, to serve

For the greens

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large leek, sliced
1 tsp sea salt
1 red capsicum, small dice
1 cup shredded silverbeet leaves
1 cup chopped kale
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped dill
¼ cup toasted almonds, chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped green olives, seeds removed

Method

For the hotcakes, wilt the spinach in a hot pan. Remove and squeeze all excess liquid. You should have about 65g. Roughly chop and allow to cool.
Sift flour, baking powder, cumin, coriander and salt into bow, then add the whole egg, melted butter and milk. Whisk until smooth. Add spinach, chilli and spring onions. Gently stir through.
Whisk the egg white until soft peaks form, then fold into the batter with a large metal spoon.
For the greens, heat oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add leek and 1/2 tsp salt, then sweat for about 8 minutes. Add capsicum and cook for 2 minutes, then add greens with remaining salt. Increase heat and saute for about 4 minutes until greens are starting to wilt. Remove from heat, add pepper, then stir through the dill, almonds and olives. Cover and keep warm.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, brush with remaining oil and melt a small amount of butter. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter to form round hot cakes with a diameter of about 10cm. Cook for 2-3 minutes until coloured underneath and bubbles form on top. Turn and cook for 1-2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve hotcakes topped with greens, the crumbled feta and a wedge of lemon.