Crêpes with cucumber salad

Pancakes are great, great food. A kind of comfort food, just not as heavy and wintery as we would think. There is one great thing about pancakes or crepes – they are so easy to make and they are so versatile. You can make them with regular milk, with nut milk, with coconut milk (as in this case); the same substitutions can be made with wheat flour or some other varieties. Egg can also be substituted, but to be honest, nothing beats the taste of egg in the batter. Not for me. Actually, one of the best cakes I have ever eaten was made from pancakes at Lady M Bakery in New York. I still remember how we stood outside that bakery with my husband and Michael Laiskonis and indulged in most heavenly matcha pancake cake ever.

So yes, pancakes are great, great food. Fantastic food. You can eat them plain (these taste great just like that). You can eat them in cake, with something sweet or savory. And these with cucumber salad are the best choice when you know that coconut panna cota will follow.

Ingredients
150 g wholegrain wheat flour
150 g wheat flour
pinch of sea salt
3 medium size eggs
425 – 475 ml water
250 ml creamy coconut milk
2 tbsp agave syrup or honey
20 ml grape seed oil

salad:
380 g small cucumbers
300 g drained chickpeas
handful of basil leaves, sliced
handful of peppermint leaves, sliced
1/2 bio lemon zest
15 ml extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
freshly grated black pepper

Prepare

Prepare the batter. In a large bowl, mix both flours and salt. Make a well, add the eggs, and mix together with a whisk. When most of the flour and eggs have been mixed together, add the milk and mix. Continue adding the water until the batter is uniform. Add the oil, syrup, and mix. Let the batter sit in the fridge for 3 - 12 hours, covered with cling film.

Heat the pan and add some oil as necessary. Pour a ladle of batter and swirl around the pan. Cook the pancake for 30‒45 seconds on one side until the edges are brown and are lifting off the pan. Flip and cook for another few seconds. Put the pancake on a warm plate and continue cooking until the batter is gone.

Make the salad. Bash the cucumbers with pastry roll. Cut. Mash the chickpeas and add to the cucumbers. Add rest of the ingredients and mix. Let sit in the fridge for 2 hours.

Serve. You can serve as you wish, but this is my way. Fold each pancake into quarters. Open one quarter and add salad. Serve.

Text, recipes, and pictures: Signe Meirane
In collaboration with Lindex Kids Holly&Whyte collection
Place: our favorite stable Zirgzandales
Flowers: my dear Magnolijas zieds