RECIPE :: pancake bake with spinach and courgette

(4 servings)

I saw a picture of a dish that had pancakes separating each layer and was inspired to create a vegan version so I immediately ran out and bought lots of ingredients to make it that night. I have to admit I was thrilled with the result and I’m sure I’ll be playing with this idea further to make a dessert (oooh I just thought the dessert idea up, how exciting). Please don’t be daunted by the amount of work involved in this recipe as I can promise you it is worth it.

Ingredients
Pancakes
100g/4oz of flour,
250ml of soya milk,
1tbsp of olive oil,
½ tsp of salt,
4tbsp of chopped chives and
as much sunflower oil for frying.

Courgettes layer
medium courgettes,
4tbsp of olive oil,
½ tsp of salt and
1tsp of dried marjoram.

Spinach layer
250g/10oz of spinach and
½ tsp of salt.

Tomato layer
1 tin of tomatoes,
2tsp of balsamic vinegar,
1tsp of paprika,
3tbsp of olive oil,
1 medium onion and
1tsp of salt.

Tempeh layer
250g/10oz of tempeh,
2tbsp of olive oil,
1 medium onion (chopped thinly),
2 cloves of crushed garlic,
1tbsp of chopped chives,
a sprig of thyme,
½ tsp of paprika,
2tbsp of tamari,
125ml of water and
1tbsp of fresh lemon juice.
 pancake bake with spinach and courgette picture

Method
1) Pre heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180C / 350F.
2) To make the pancakes; combine all the ingredients thoroughly and let sit for at least 20 minutes.
3) To make the courgette layer; top ‘n’ tail the courgettes.  Then thinly slice them length ways and coat the long, thin slices with the olive oil.
4) Mix the salt and marjoram together and sprinkle over both sides of the courgettes.  Put them on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
5) To make the spinach layer; wash the spinach and place into a saucepan with the salt and fry under a low heat for a few minutes until the spinach is massively reduced and a beautiful vibrant green colour.
6) To make the tomato layer; put all the ingredients (except the salt) into a blender and whiz away until smooth.
7) Place the tomato mix into a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until reduced to two thirds its original volume.
8) To make the tempeh; steam the tempeh for 7 minutes to bring out the flavour.
9) While the tempeh is steaming fry the onion over a medium/low heat for 6 minutes.
10) Chop the tempeh into 1 inch/2½ cm cubes
11) Add the tempeh, garlic, chives, thyme leaves, paprika and tamari over a medium/low heat for 2 minutes.
12) Place half of the water in with the tempeh mix and fry until all the water is absorbed.  Then put in the rest of the water and fry for 10 more minutes.
13) Now to make the pancakes; pour in a quarter of the mixture into a very hot pan and fry until all liquid on the top of the pancake has solidified (about 1-2 minutes).  Whilst it is cooking tease the sides of the pancake away from the pan with a spatula and then gently loosen the underneath of the pancake from the pan.
14) Now for the fun bit, flip the pancake and continue cooking for another 30 seconds.
15) To assemble the dish; it is best to use a 9” circular Pyrex dish.  First place a layer of courgettes in the horizontal direction then place another layer on top in the vertical direction.  Place a pancake on top of the courgettes and spread half the tomato mixture over the pancake.  Then place another pancake over the tomatoes and cover with the spinach and another pancake.  Again coat with the rest of the tomatoes and cover with a pancake.  To finish off, place the tempeh mixture over the last pancake and bake for 30 minutes.