Savory Shallot and Wild Rice Pancakes

 

And, I’m back.

Our trip to America was a whirlwind of dining and drinking and meeting and grilling and bargain shopping and leaf eating and baptizing. Lasse finally met his Grandpa, his 5-year-old cousin, two uncles, a set of great-grandparents , and about 86 “aunties” throughout the course of October and at the end of it, we were both exhausted and he was a changed boy. Not only did he become more social and an A-class sitter-without-support, he leaned out a bit (never thought it was possible) and started eating adult foods. It wasn’t like he started downing his own steak burrito or anything, but four full-fledged teeth and a lot of determination turned our little puree-eating puddin’ into a proper member of the dinner table. Never mind his continued affinity with newspaper and toes (both his own and mine!)…

 

 

But then the end of vacation somehow segued into the start of the holiday season, which, in my world, is the sugar, butter, and perpetual darkness season. Aside from all of my freckles going into hibernation and Lasse getting confused about when to sleep and when to play, the end of fall and early part of winter really is an ok time of year.

But hold up! Before this site gets completely taken by all things cookie, pie, and cake, I thought it might be nice to toss in a few savory recipes that have been stewing away in my head for sometime. Things like shallot-wild rice pancakes. Have you ever had a savory pancake? I know a lot of sites out there are all about turning the syrup-drenched American breakfast favorite into something even more sickenly sweet …carrot cake pancakes? With a gluttonous slathering of cream cheese frosting. Really? After moving to Norway and now associating pancakes with dinner, I started realizing how great of an idea it is to serve them as your starch alongside some slow-roasted pork with a little chutney. Or if pork isn’t you thing, might I suggest a creamy vegetable soup? Divine.

At the risk of sounding very un-patriotic, I’m convinced these little cakes are the way pancakes are supposed to be. Of course, there is a place and time for a stack of buttermilks with maple syrup; like pajamaed and crosslegged on Saturday mornings with your nose glued to Tom and Jerry. But, and hold your breath here, might I dare say that savory pancakes are where it’s at. They’re tasty at breakfast, noon, and night. And they don’t even have to cover their faces with a cream cheese and powdered sugar veil.

 

 

Savory Shallot and Wild Rice Pancakes

Sjalottlauk og Villrispannekaker

Adapted from Beth Henspberger’s The Bread Bible

*Makes (about) 20 small cakes

 

3-4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium shallot, minced (you cold substitute yellow onion)

pinch of sugar

1 cup (240 g)All-Purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk

1 1/2 cups (250 g) cooked and cooled wild rice

*optional 1 Tablespoon fresh herbs, finely chopped (chives or thyme work well)

 

1. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced shallots, the pinch of sugar, and cook until tender. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the sautéed shallots, butter, eggs, and milk until smooth, about one minute. The batter will be thin. Stir in the wild rice and herbs (if using).
3. Heat a griddle or skillet (whatever  you normally would use for pancakes) over medium heat and lightly grease it. Using a 2-tablespoon measure for each pancake, pour the batter onto the griddle/skillet and cook for about 2 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface and the bottoms turn golden brown. Flip to the other side and cook for an additional minute. Keep your pancakes warm in an oven until their ready to serve. 

Comments

[Rachel]

These look great! We had Norwegian pancakes this AM, but can't wait to try these soon.

[Jon]

Where did you find wild rice in Norway? Here, you can buy it in the gas stations (Minnesota). The recipe sounds delicious, by the way.

[siri]

Jon- Thanks for dropping in! The wild rice I have here in Norway is from.......Minnesota! I always pack a 2 lb. bag of it in my suitcase when we visit my family in MN (and a few have even sent it to me as part of a care package- seems to be almost a given if you're a MN and sending food items to someone outside of MN, don't you think?). Very few Norwegians know what wild rice is, which makes sense since it's not found in any of the stores here.

[jan]

These look fantastic! I can't wait to try them! I enjoy following your blog...beautiful child, beautiful Norwegian scenery, great recipes. Your midsummer cake is on my list to try too!