Recipe: Pumpkin pancakes

A weekend breakfast treat, perfect for using up leftover roast pumpkin.

Lucky for us, last year’s summer garden offered forth an abundance of crown pumpkins, self-seeded down the back underneath the dappled shade of the pear trees. They’ve done us well and just as I notice we are down to our last few, I see once again a handful of seedlings pushing their heads through the soil heralding the start of another season. We often throw together pancakes in the morning. Sometimes they are sweetened with ripe bananas and made with a base of oats, other times we use our sourdough starter. These ones I first made a few months ago and they have proved to be a hit at our breakfast table.  We make them small, like pikelets, but if you prefer them bigger then simply thin down the batter to suit.     

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

Serves 4

• 150g roasted pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk (cow or plant)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 75g oats
• 75g flour (white/wholemeal/spelt)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 50g butter, melted

In a food processor, process the pumpkin, eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar until smooth. Add the oats, flour, spices and baking powder and process again until combined. 

While the motor is still running, drizzle in the butter until combined. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add a small knob of butter. Pour in spoonfuls of batter and cook until browned before flipping and cooking until the other side is browned also.

Either place the pancakes under a tea towel while you make the remaining ones or on a plate in a warm oven. I served mine with a blueberry compote, mascarpone, honeycomb and wee viola flowers.