I read about French farçous pancakes for the first time on Friday morning and by lunchtime I was eating them. As my usual process of funneling the hundreds of recipe ideas swarming around in my head into a single one worth sharing is an exercise in exasperation involving extensive considerations of how I’d like to approach something, ingredient availability, time availability, estimated number of rounds it will take to get said recipe right, scanning my worry meter over all the places I suspect it might flop, number of stores to get to find ingredients, all interspersed with baby feedings, and overdue items on an forever-long to-do list, getting from “yes I want to make this” to “eating it” in a little over an hour alone makes this the best thing I’ve made this year.
It also ticked off several other boxes: Lunch? Dinner? Vegetables? Protein? Quick? Forgiving? Flexible? Fun to eat? Check, check, check, check, check, check, check, check. And a few I hadn’t expected, such as a 6 year-old spying these very green pancakes in the fridge, requesting one, and then another. (I won’t tell him there’s Swiss chard in there if you don’t.) I only poured out about half the batter on Friday, but it keeps just fine in the fridge for a few days, if you’d like to make it over a few days. The pancakes also freeze very well, which is good, as it makes a lot.
Unsurprisingly, such a magical, works-the-first-time recipe hails from Dorie Greenspan via her Around My French Table cookbook, which is full additional unfussy French home cooking delights, things like Spur-Of-The-Moment Soup and Hurry-Up-And-Wait Chicken. But this is my new favorite. Farçous hail from Aveyron, France in the southwest and they have the texture of a thick crepe. There’s no melted butter or leavening in them, just a simple batter of eggs, flour, and milk with as much green stuff as you desire to blend into them (a mix of herbs, onion, garlic and greens is the norm). Swiss chard is the usual leafy green, but there’s no reason you can’t do it with spinach or kale. I used scallions in lieu of fresh onion and chives (as my herb garden up and froze on me the night before, sob).
In France, they’re served as a main course with salad, but around here, we found a dollop of lemony yogurt to be the perfect contrast. Were I planning more than 15 minutes ahead, I’d also make a batch of David Lebovitz’s carrot salad alongside, a longtime favorite of ours. Were I putting the Smitten Kitchen spin on it I was itching to, but for once, chose the least fussy route, I’d have crossed it with the saag paneer I’ve been craving all month, but that would have certainly put off how soon we got to enjoy these. So, here’s to dinner tonight (sorted!) and more straightforward good stuff like this.
One year ago: Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake
Two years ago: Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango
Three years ago: Ethereally Smooth Hummus
Four years ago: Apple Sharlotka
Five years ago: Pizza with Bacon, Onions and Cream
Six years ago: Caramel Pudding and Barley Risotto with Beans and Greens
Seven years ago: Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew
Eight years ago: Lemon Bars and Crunch Baked Pork Chops
Nine years ago: Balthazar’s Cream of Mushroom Soup and World Peace Cookies
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Very Blueberry Scones
1.5 Years Ago: Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
2.5 Years Ago: Grilled Bacon Salad with Arugula and Balsamic
3.5 Years Ago: Bacon Corn Hash
4.5 Years Ago: Flatbreads with Honey, Thyme and Sea Salt
Swiss Chard Pancakes [Farçous]
Adapted, just a little, from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table
As mentioned above, this is very flexible recipe. Once you have the milk, flour and egg base in place, you can add the suggested combination of onions, herbs and greens below or one more suited to your tastes/what you have in the fridge right now. We used a most of a bundle of scallions (white and green) instead of onion and chives. I used only one garlic clove.
2 cups (475 ml) whole milk
2 1/2 cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
10 fresh chives, snipped
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped
Leaves from 10 parsley sprigs
5 large or 10 small Swiss chard leaves, center ribs removed, roughly chopped
About 1/2 cup (120 ml) grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, or olive oil
To serve: Plain, thick yogurt mixed with a little lemon zest, lemon juice and salt, to taste
If you’d like to keep your finished pancakes warm while you cook them: Heat oven to 250 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
Make the batter: Put everything except the Swiss chard and oil in a blender or food processor and whirl until the batter is smooth. Scrape down sides. Add chard leaves and pulse machine until they’re chopped to your desired consistency.
Cook the pancakes: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour in a good puddle (1/4-inch deep) of oil. Once oil is hot enough that a droplet of batter hisses and sputters, spoon about 3 tablespoons batter in per pancake. It will spread quickly. Cook until browned underneath and (the edges will scallop, adorably), then flip, cooking on the other side until browned again. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, and then, if you’d like to keep them warm, to the foil-lined tray in the oven.
Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with lemony yogurt or another sauce of your choice.
Do ahead: Unused batter keeps in fridge for 3 days. Finished pancakes keep in fridge for a couple days, and will freeze much longer. Separate pancakes with pieces of waxed or parchment paper so they don’t glue together.
Ooooh another recipe! But first of all: a very happy and healthy new year to you and your loved ones :-)
I have a look at your site every day, in hope of new recipes. Tonight I’ll try the espresso chiffon layer cake (never made a layered cake before…), for a friend’s birthday. I have no cream of tartar, but maybe it works all the same.
Thank you for the lot of work you put into your site! I love it!
Now I have to look for the baby links in your post… I hope there are some!
Looks fantastique! The chard really cooks through in the time it takes to cook the pancake? And the onions?
I have the Dorie cookbook, and made these a few months ago. I have to say, they weren’t a hit with me. Maybe it was the bright green colour, and I thought they tasted a bit meh. Not something I’d make again.
These look amazing – and a perfect use for the extra chard from your lentil soup recipe that I’m making tonight! No baby photos?!?
Green smoothies graduate to green pancakes…I approve!
I’m glad you included what to serve them with because I had no idea, but as soon as you mentioned carrot salad I was sold on the whole meal.
Made these last summer when I had an abundance of chard in my garden. I thought they were great! Thanks for a lovely memory of summer and a reminder of what to look forward to in 6 months!
My toddler will eat (seemingly) any pancake put in front of her. I think we found what we’re trying for lunch… Thanks for reminding me that pancakes can be savory, too!
No baking soda or powder? How do they rise?
Using some almond flour and/or flaxseed meal could really make these power-packed.
In the summer, I make these with zucchini, lemon zest, goat cheese & mint. Really lovely, store well, travel well, great picnic food when the weather cooperates.
And the saag paneer? =)
Acually it sorts of reminds me of Chinese hutazi (what might be translated as burnt flat…er, things – there is actually no noun in the name), a crepe made with eggs, flour, a smidge of sesame oil, and heaps of grated carrots/courgettes, then cooked to desired doneness in a wok (though I’ve never liked the “traditional” way of cooking it over a very high temperature to get a char-mottled exterior and a er, soggy center) then dipped in a garlic/vinegar dip…….
Mimi: Don’t do it! Your cake won’t turn out without the leavening. If you aren’t able to get to the store for cream of tartar, use baking powder. Not sure if this recipe works with a 1:1 substitution, but it’s better than no leavener. Baking powder is a mixture of cream of tartar and baking soda. The baking soda will likely change the texture of the crumb from the original recipe’s intent, but it may still turn out okay. Without anything, the cake will be quite dense and very likely unpalatable.
I feel like these would kick butt with a ton of cumin and cilantro!
Oh! These look great but I am also excited you mentioned carrot salad. That was one of my favorite dishes served up by my host family in Lyon! Almost 20 years ago but I can still taste it. Miam miam!
Looks delicious and healthy!
yeahhh, it looks quiet well and when u can put everything in the blender in the morning – hell yeahhhh!
Great receipe, i really like it.
and it look always soooo good when u put those extra-super-nice-cool-xxx pics on your blog.
xox netzchen
hope my english was okay, i’am from austria and … well, forget often some words :-)xoxo
Good thing chard’s on sale at Whole Foods this week!
Looks utterly delicious, and I love that it’s a savory kind of pancake!
http://www.makeandmess.com/
Mimi — The cream of tartar in the chiffon cake is just to give the egg whites more stability; you should be fine without it.
Linda — Good god, that sounds amazing.
Travels4Food — This is not a leavened pancake; it’s closer to a thick crepe.
Heather — More seasoning, maybe?
Rachel — Ours was cooked, but I find most chard to cook quickly, especially well-chopped. If you’re not happy with the texture off the stove, the extra time in the oven would definitely do the trick.
Heather and Deb: thanks for your help! I now read somewhere that you can substitute lemon juice for the cream of tartar. I put in a few drops (recipe called only for half a teaspoon).
The mixture looks great, like cappuccino-tinted foam. I think I’m a VERY nice friend to bake that for someone else :-D
As for the pancakes – I do these regularly, with zucchini. But a lot less flour, more eggs, no milk. I always overeat on them.
Hi! Do you put anything in to substitute the milk? How many eggs? I want to try this without the milk. Thanks!
just tried savory waffles, gotta give savory pancakes a try now. Looks easy enough thanks to this recipe!
They are not ugly at all!:)
Looks so delicious, thanks for sharing this recipe!
In the interest in substituting spinach, can you tell us approximately how many cups of Chard did “5 large or 10 small Swiss chard leaves” yields?
Yes! I want to use kale
Pancakes with veggies?! I love how healthy this is!
Off-topic, sorry ;)
the three batches (for the 3 layers) of the espresso chiffon cake came out of the oven looking beautiful, and smelling delicious.
I’ll freeze them for 3 days and then assemble the cake with a chocolate ganache. Can’t wait to try it!
Shanon — Sorry, I didn’t measure. I’d say 1 to 2 cups in ribbons. But you can definitely eyeball it. Add a handful, blend, see if you like how green it is. Repeat as needed.
These look so good! Would this recipe work with soy milk instead of dairy? I’ll be trying it, anyhow.
Typo alert: “We used a most of a bundle of scallions”
Yum! I have kale in the fridge that I’ll try – this week! I don’t have any fresh herbs and it’s polar vortex time in Wisco, so I think I’ll just sub in some dried herbs instead of venturing outside with my 11 week old :) These remind me that I should make your broccoli fritters again soon – one of my absolute fav recipes from your site!
Wow, I love this recipe! I always have a ton of all these greens in my garden and my girls love pancakes. Perfect combo.
Could you do these on a flat top or griddle like regular pancakes? Or must they be fried up in oil?
I am inherently suspicious of oddly colored foods and things with too many veggies in them…
But it sort of reminds me of my favorite appetizer at the local dumpling place- green onion pancake. Also I believe you would never steer us wrong so I’ll have to give it a go!
I might sub arugula for the swiss chard though- just because I have everything else in my fridge right now.
I love things with veggies in them, but am inherently suspicious of oddly fried foods. Is the frying in a half-cup of oil a traditional thing? I’m looking at these and thinking they’d be great if cooked dry in a non-stick pan (and maybe with double the chard…) Is there a reason why that’s just not done?
Deb this reminds me of the green pancakes with lime butter in ottolenghis plenty. I ended up serving that with yogurt as well and for the more age challenged among us, I have considered adding some mashed sweet potato in the mix. I live the blender idea and am going to give this a whirl this weekend.
Yum yum yum
Finally got cold here and this looks perfect !
I want to make these immediately. Also wondering about subbing soy milk (or almond, etc.) — Anne, how did it go?
Made with part coconut milk and part water, was delicious. (Also used rice flour, sauteed leeks, and mystery freezer greens that were maybe blanched collards.). A big hit even with the small children- my four year old saw the pic and requested green pancakes for dinner! – and I will definitely make again .
Made these with success! They would be a perfect brunch dish. I wonder how’d they taste with buttermilk instead of whole milk?
Eating these right now and enjoying very much! Thanks for posting this when I had chard and scallions in my fridge. I’m dipping in soy sauce since they remind me of scallion pancakes at Asian restaurants.
Deb, I just love your site so much, and it occurs to me that I’m years overdue in saying so. I’d say we eat a SK recipe at least once a week for dinner (often more, and quite often we’re also eating baked goods borne of your delightful brain as well) and I get constant inspiration from your recipes, writing, and photos. Thank you so much for being a cherished corner of the internet and my #1 most trusted source for recipe ideas. I can’t wait to make these!
I was raised on something similar, which also included cubed potatoes. My mom used a recipe from the cookbook which came with her Waring blender (which she still uses!) when she married in the late 50s. We usually had them with pot roast and gravy. These would be marvelous with mushroom gravy, as well. Or anything. Definitely on the menu here tomorrow night.
My goodness! Gorgeous, healthful, easy to get on the table. What’s not to like? Love the little eskimo ready to leap, haven’t seen him in a while…still as cute as ever, and as rambunctious too, obviously. Maybe it was the energy boost from the green pancakes? These are going to be one of my favorites, I can tell already. “Scallions” did it.
I’m sorry. I’d like to cancel my subscription. Could you please help me?
These look a lot like the spinach pancakes we have in Finland. They are also very good and big favorites with kids. We serve them with lingonberry jam, which tastes somewhat like cranberry jelly. I think I need to try these!
Please please please do a saag paneer recipe! It’s my favourite, I order it at every Indian restaurant I go to (along with another curry!) and use it as my baseline to mentally rank them.
My favourite saag paneer ever was served in a tiny Indian restaurant in rural Ireland, which was basically someone’s living room. Rather than a tomatoey sauce which I often get in the UK, it had a green sauce which included (what I think!) mustard greens with the spinach. The paneer had slightly melted into it but maintained chunks as well. The whole thing was incredible and I’ve never successfully recreated it or had anything close since!
These look yummy! I’m French and I’ve never heard of them. But now, I can’t wait to test them!!!
Oh, please, oh please….the Saag Paneer! I’ve tried about 8 different recipes and my family is begging that I get it right – or stop using them as Guinea pigs!
Did you sneak into my house last night and peek into my refrigerator??! How did you know I had some Swiss chard on its last “use by” day? And whole milk, which we rarely buy, as well? And yogurt?? Spooky!! Whipping this up NOW. Happy New Year!
I have made vegetable pancakes in the past but not chard. Can I successfully sub frozen spinach? Should I thaw and squeeze out the excess water before blending? Also, subbing non-fat milk and/or coconut milk – will this affect the final texture or success of this recipe?
Made them last night and they were delicious. My husband loved them. Served with a romaine and feta salad on the side. Perfectly crispy on the outside and warm and gooey on on the inside. It made enough to eat our fill and freeze a dozen!
These were delicious! And toddler approved! I subbed gluten-free flour mix + 1/4 tsp xantham gum (though with three eggs I’m not sure that was necessary), and used zucchini and spinach since that’s what I had in my fridge. Since zucchini has lots of water in it I only needed 1 cup and a bit of milk to get the right consistency. Thank you for this super easy, yet scrumptious, recipe!!
Frozen spinach — No reason it shouldn’t work. Thaw and wring it out.
Using non-dairy milks — I’d expect it to work, but haven’t tried it.
Judy — I have unsubscribed you.
These sound great and I think a lot of substitutions can be made. I’ve made something similar with chickpea flour, sautéed leeks and butternut squash. I love that they can be eaten for any meal of the day.
Great way to get greens into my diet, which is my personal goal for January. Thank you!!
I love vegetable pancakes of all sorts- they’re easy and fast and delicious. I’ve never made swiss chard ones, and I’ll have to remedy that. These look fantastic.
Has anyone tried making these on the griddle instead of frying them in oil? I’m going to make them tonight and it just seems easier to make them on the griddle like normal pancakes – just wondering if it’s worked out.
Like Laura in CA, I’m wondering if these would work with just a lightly oiled cast iron skillet or do you think sticking would be a problem? The recipe sounds delicious and the green is so pretty!
Just made these and they’re great. Thank you!
Not really my thing, but maybe I’ll give it a try. At least it isn’t kale :-)
Will be making these for dinner. Thank you!
Also I’m totally guilty of this too, but it made me laugh. I love when people say “Thank you for the recipe” then tell you how they replaced the majority of all your ingredients with other ingredients “but it was delicious, so thank you” haha. I’ll be making this actual recipe tonight.
;)
I made these when I first got Dorie’s book. They were fantastic! I should make them again with the beautiful collards that are in my fridge. Thanks for the inspiration.
These sound so interesting and different!
Just made these with kale (minus chives, because I didn’t have any). I also halved the recipe because I cook only for me. I used two eggs, but everything else split in half nicely. They turned out great- and the lemon yogurt sauce was delicious! I like Cat’s suggestion of cumin. I might add some to the rest of my batter.
And I’d like to add my vote for the saag paneer recipe. Please share!
Planning on making these tomorrow, but I’m wondering how many pancakes (roughly) I can expect to have from this recipe?
Love your recipes – just discovered your website, and have spent most of the morning drooling over your cookbook – bought and downloaded the kindle version earlier today…..
I can’t imagine why anyone would want to “unsubscribe” to your blog…I love it !!
Thanks for this amazing recipe !
All your recipes are so yummy! I am really tempted by these pancakes. This is a fantastic recipe, easy to make and full of goodness using seasonal veggies. Thank you!
I made this with spinach, onions, and parsley (no shallots or chives on hand) and they were delicious! I do wish I’d added oil more gradually. I had to fry in many batches and found the first few too oily and the last too plain. In the future, I’d add more pepper and try adding in the shallots and chives – the herby flavor is great!
I made these last night with green onions and frozen spinach (thawed and wrung out) and watched with amazement as the 4yo and the 1yo gobbled them up. BRILLIANT. Easy to make, and minimal crumb mess as well! These will definitely be on frequent rotation from now on.
We adults did find them a tiny bit bland, so next time I’ll probably throw in some more spices, but honestly, who am I to argue with such amazing results. You’re a lifesaver.
Also, forgot to mention that I made these with half whole wheat pastry flour for extra healthy-breakfast-points, and they were still great!
I only wish that you tried this recipe six months sooner, I felt like my CSA box had a bundle of chard every damn week this summer!
Made these last night for dinner and enjoyed them for breakfast too! Both times with lemon yogurt, look forward to trying them next time with sour cream (the best pancake topping ever).
Yield — Sorry that I didn’t note mine (aside from: a lot!) but Dorie says it makes about forty 5-inch pancakes; 12 side-dish or starter servings or 8 main-course servings. She calls for a “scant 1/4 cup batter” and I used 3 tablespoons, which is a smidge less (mine were juuust shy of 4 inches) so you’ll have even more.
Re, frying — Yes, it’s a bit of oil and there’s certainly no reason not to use less if you’re bothered by it but do keep in mind that “frying in more oil” does not necessarily mean “absorbing more oil.” If the oil is properly heated (the whole hiss/sputter thing mentioned in the recipe), the pancakes shouldn’t drink it like a sponge and you may never need the full 1/2 cup. But, a deeper puddle really does give them a lovelier edge. You can absolutely use cast iron too; I usually do for pancakes.
Recent follower here. Love the site. Your oven fries ROCK me. Anyhow, can the flour be substituted with potato starch and can the cow’s milk be substituted with cashew or almond milk?
I did mine with almond milk just fine. I’ve had great luck subbing with almond or cashew milk in pancakes and baked goods generally. You can even make a roux with nut milk!
So happy to find this recipe the day I picked up my Farm Share box! It had all of the ingredients I needed in it! I made these as 9 large main course servings with gluten free all purpose flour, vegan egg replacer and rice milk, due to food allergies. I had to add more rice milk to thin out the batter (because of the powdered egg replacement). Yum!!!! I ate a serving and froze the rest!
Our farmers market (I live in Florida) is brimming with swiss chard. Guess I know what I’m making this weekend!
I made the pancakes for dinner tonight and they are delicious! Instead of having them with the lemon-yogurt, I ate them plain but I also had the carrot salad. Amazing. Since I still have half a bunch of chard, I am going to make your leek and chard tart.
ok I made this today for my toddlers and they inhaled it! We just called it green pancakes and honestly this should be tagged as the fastest most nutritious thing ever! I might sub some of the AP flour for whole wheat and maybe throw in some cheese next time, but oh my it flew off the plate!
For those interested in frying v. just using the griddle – I started out by Frying because, Deb, when you said frying it gives them a lovelier edge, I decided to give the frying a go. It seems that I just haven’t mastered the frying method…oil was splattering on me, I was grimmacing my way through it, they were looking burned… and finally I just called it quits, and moved to the griddle method (like typical breakfast pancakes). Wow, it was WAY easier and less stressful to make it in the griddle method. I thought for sure I had made the right choice to switch methods.
By the time we sat down to dinner, I had a pile of fried ones and a pile of griddled ones. My husband and I each took one from each pile to taste test. The results: I did actually prefer the fried crispy edges. They weren’t burnt despite what they looked like. My husband didn’t have a strong preference between the two one way or the other. However, I won’t make them fried again because they weren’t *that* much better and frying is just hard and stressful for me. The griddle ones were a bit of a mind twist… they had the exact texture of a diner breakfast pancake, but they weren’t a breakfast pancake. I felt like I should pour maple syrup on them. The flavor was still good, but they lacked in texture.
Overall – we won’t make this again. I think it takes more frying talent than I have :) We knew we wouldn’t eat them again, so we threw away the left over batter. I won’t save the recipe as one to come back to. My husband said, “Well, they weren’t that bad.. but that’s not the kind of thing I say about a smitten kitchen recipe! Write that in the comments!” he said laughing, with a smile. He is meaning it as a compliment to you, Deb, that we devour and adore everything you post!
Lemon/yogurt/salt/pepper topping – great!!!
So these were delicious! I wasn’t 100% sure going in but I read the recipe the day it posted and had 100% of the ingredients on hand so I went for it. And I liked them a lot. Along with 2 out of 3 remaining family members (that last family member is always a wildcard)
So thanks for posting.
And for anyone wondering, I used cilantro rather than parsley and it was delish.
Oh, and the batter did keep great and made a perfect quick lunch at home today.
Nice and healthy…. The recipe contains many hygienic ingredients… I tried and tasted it twice
Warm Regards from http://foodmumbai.co.in
Ooh! I know what’s for dinner tonight. I’d like to take the time to thank you for all the effort you put into this site Deb. Thanks! You’re my favorite site.
A question; would you cook the spinach first – the hot pan + slightly wet leaves method?
I just love this kind of pancake,so good
I see this recipe is from “Around My French Table,” and am eager to try it with an upcoming trip to France and eager to do some experimenting. Does anyone have a “first pick” on a cookbook of French recipes? I presume Dorie’s is great, but if anyone has any others that they love, or love best, I’d love to hear.
Question — I was hoping to make these of Friday for the weekend. We have to go check on my in-laws summer home while they’re in FL for the winter. #snowbirdproblems
Do you think it would be better to cook them at home and bring them with us or just blend it all up and bring the mix, uncooked with us? It’s only an hour or so drive, so I don’t think it would be out of the fridge for long (and of course, we’d use a small cooler bag). Thanks for your thoughts!
Oooh these look so tasty! I love savory pancakes. They take me back to my childhood :)
I made these last night with my roommates, and they came out great! I used whole-wheat flour instead of white, so they’re extra chunky and filling. The lemony yogurt was the perfect accompaniment for two of us, but one woman didn’t care for it and made a sriracha aioli to go on hers instead. IT WAS WONDERFUL. A++ highly recommend.
Finally a way to eat Swiss chard that I can handle. Glorious. Thank you!
Farcous pancake my foot – lady, you’ve blundered more than 1/2 way into your most beloved territory (territoire?) – FRITTER LAND!
I love your fritter madness.
Whenever I read a fritter recipe, I think of you.
Fritters are your totem foodstuff.
This place is heaven on earth . Great colors. Great photos. You have a great eye for the package ! Thank you for that and for your creativity!
Greetings from Berlin. Torsten
OMG Deb, how have I never heard of this brilliant idea?! Thank you for bringing it into my world! Just thinking of all the ways to riff on this recipe is making me very, very excited :D
This is a great recipe- easy and flexible with minimal cleanup. I used leeks and kale in place of the chard and chives. Super delicious. Thank you for the note about proper temperature to prevent oil absorption. I served mine with sour cream spiked with lime juice as I I’d already prepped a container a few days ago for nachos.
I substituted basil for the chives and parsley, and baby kale for the swiss chard, because that’s what I had on hand. Next time I would grate some parmesan into the batter, but they were tasty! I made an Italian-esque salsa with Roma tomato, more basil, onion, and a splash of wine vinegar to top them. Love the versatility of the recipe!
Oh my goodness, another Smitten Kitchen winner! I just love love love your recipes and these pancakes turned out amazing! I needed some more seasoning, but that was just my bad. I am so taking leftovers to work tomorrow and get everyone jealous ;) Thanks!!
Let me encourage you to keep pondering and experimenting on the ‘cross with saag paneer’ idea. I look forward to that post someday; meanwhile, off to prep some greens…
I loved the boxes you checked and agree. Was there a box called ‘food you can play around with’? This box should be checked as well. I have tasted so many variations of the Swiss chard pancake. I often make variations depending on what I find on my kitchen shelf, sometimes removing chives and adding some rosemary instead, or even basil.
Deb, THANK YOU!
It has been three years that a friend and I take turns cooking dinner. She has two kids that have refused with fervor to eat anything I make. THREE YEARS! Her toddlers are a selective eaters O.o
I made these last night and told them they were green monster pancakes, and the kids ate them, one even asked for seconds! What a perfect recipe for all the awesome greens I get in my CSA box, now that I know these are picky-toddler approved!
I made these last night. Delicious! I think I’m going to try freezing some of the leftovers. We made it with a horseradish sauce (just some light sour cream, horseradish, and lemon juice)! I loved the spice with the pancakes. Even the 8 year old liked it (he loves the horseradish sauce too!). Oh, I used turnip greens because that is what I found at the store.
They remind me of the Japanese vegetable pancakes, okonomiyaki. Question: will already blanched kale (or other greens) add too much moisture to the batter? I often keep a bowl in my fridge so I can just grab it and cook wth it (so no excuses for not eating it). Tastes better to me when blanched for just a few minutes, and it stays greener, too. Thanks, Deb! First time I’m writing, but following you for years.
Merijane — I don’t think blanched kale would be an issue, you can always give it an extra squeeze. (Plus, the chard goes in raw so it still contains its liquid.)
This might sound like heresy on here. I am mostly veggie, but I had to eat a rump steak for health reasons, and yet I had been planning to make these all week. I can’t tell you how wonderful they were as an accompaniment to the amazing Aberdeen Angus steak. I put mustard on the steak and soy sauce on the pancakes. I feel as high as a kite having eaten such an amazing meal. Oh, that might be due to the Pinot Noir I drank with it. Carrot salad would have been perfection. I had the carrots but was too lazy.
This recipe was SO delicious! I made a vegan version for my husband, and I almost liked it better than the regular version (which is not always the case, so the first time when I experiment like this I always try the original recipe, too). I just replaced half of the flour with chickpea flour, added some extra water in place of the eggs, and almond milk with a little olive oil to replace the whole milk that I used in the regular version. The result was very delicious and was very similar in both look and flavor to the original, just a bit crispier, which I actually liked better. I highly recommend it for anyone who is wanting to make a vegan version but isn’t sure whether it will work–it will! Thanks for another delicious recipe, Deb, this one will definitely go into my regular rotation.
Okay- so I never really believe it when people say “My kids loved (insert appropriate exotic food here)”. But my 6 year old ate 12 (count them, 12) of these! And wants the leftovers for breakfast. Thanks for another home run recipe!
These looked so good I had to make right away. The only criticism I have is the suggesting it’s a 1/4 inch of oil in the pan. That is way too much and way more than the 1/2 cup written out in the recipe. I would suggest only coating the bottom of the pan, not going up 1/4 of an inch for at that point, you are pan frying them, almost deep frying the pancake. I drained the oil after the first batch and there was a dramatic difference! Flavor was nice though, a fun way to incorporate more greens into a weeones diet ;)
I did the same thing – drained the oil after the first batch, it was way too much. Even then – I was excited about these but wouldn’t make them again. I used quite a lot more salt than specified in the recipe but they were still bland, I thought; I was disappointed.
These were DELICIOUS! My three year old and I devoured them for dinner tonight. Even so, we had lots of leftovers. I followed your instructions for freezing with layers of parchment paper. How do you suggest reheating so that they maintain their lovely crispiness?
These were DELICIOUS and very versatile – I threw in some scallions, used a leek instead of an onion… I would use a little less oil next time.
Going to try these on my toddler who’s suspicious of everything green or with more texture than quick oats, since I see lots of comments about kids liking them. Deb, were you able to achieve a puree with the chard, or were there little chunks visible or tangible in the mouth in the pancakes? I fear my toddler’s hypersensitive Spidey-tongue will detect bits and spit them out. If they get past his Superman X-ray eyes, that is.
Do you think these would work with chickpea flour (besan) in place of the all-purpose flour? Can I do a full replacement, or do you think a mixture of both would be better?
I made these tonight and they were yummy! I made your zucchini cakes in the summer and missed them. So glad for this new seasonal recipe!
These chard pancakes sound so good! And it’s always great to add some greens to classic recipes. I’ll have to try this out with my family to get them to eat their vegetables. The plain yogurt with lemon zest sounds like a perfect pairing. Thank you for sharing!
I made an Indian riff on these and wanted to share the changes with you fine people, since they were very popular at home! First, I halved the recipe (because there are only 2 of us) It still made a LOT of batter. Instead of straight flour used 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/4 cup rolled oats. I also used 1 large egg and one small egg (half an egg :) ), and one large green onion and its greens in the place of the onion, shallot, and chives. I added a full 2-3 cloves garlic because we love garlic, and along with the salt and pepper as written (but halved), I added approx. 2 tsp fresh minced ginger, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, and 1/2 tsp chili powder. I also added ~1 scant handful each of fresh mint (stems removed) and fresh cilantro (stems left on) instead of the parsley, and added the chard stems into the initial blended mixture because I didn’t want to discard them. I blended the Swiss chard leaves in at the end as stated in the recipe. We cooked these two ways – first as pancakes (we found them a little dense and wet) and then as waffles. I have to say that green waffles are where it’s at!! I highly recommend you guys give it a try. The batter stuck a little bit but after a good greasing of the waffle iron everything went fine. I also “overbaked” them somewhat (left them in the waffle iron a little long) to get a nice golden brown color. We served them with a nice Indian cilantro chutney and the David Lebovwitz carrot salad that Deb recommended above (plus roasted beets & cilantro instead of parsley). Cheers!
Was your comment “So, here’s to dinner tonight (sorted!)” a reference to the signature line of the British YouTube cooking show of the same name? I SO enjoy Sorted! Just missed getting to see them on their US tour last year sadly. What a fun group of guys.
The recipe was a mixed result for me. I halved it and used the two smallest eggs in my carton, so it wasn’t exactly as written – the centers puffed away from the pan, oddly enough, while the edges did scallop as you predicted. I was glad to find my immersion blender did the job – nice tiny bits of green in a smooth mixture. The flavor was great too, but I was reminded once again that I don’t like the process of deep-frying (I didn’t notice the oil depth in the recipe till I had already made the batter), I had to hang around and fry them all in my little single-pancake pan so I wouldn’t have to get out more oil the next day to finish them. Ah well, they’re done now, and I know I’ll enjoy the leftovers for the next few meals!
Deb, thanks for another awesome recipe! I think these are nearly impossible to mess up. I made these nearly as written the first time. And boosted by your love of frittering, I threw whatever I had in the food processor: baby Swiss chard and kale leftovers (hardly a handful), a good handful of chopped red cabbage, 1/3 of a red onion, and some garlic. And horseradish to go in the yogurt sauce. I hope I didn’t totally butcher your recipe, but wanted to thank you for giving me the confidence to experiment a bit– and a recipe that is flexible enough to do so :)
Just curious because I’ve never seen you call for this before, but why remove the germ from the garlic?
Anne — Many people say that it contributes to bitterness. To be honest, unless my garlic is old and eh, I never bother and sometimes not even then.
Nice recipe! I substituted 1 1/2 cups of chickpea flour, and used buttermilk instead of whole milk.
Wendy — That sounds wonderful. If you had a photo of them, I’d love to see it because I’m very curious how they look with part gram.
So these might be my favorite thing ever – and my husband and neighbor agree. I didn’t have an onion, so used a leek instead (white only), threw in scallions, and they were DELICIOUS. I used way less oil the 2nd and 3rd times – just a tiny slick to cover the cast iron pan – and it was perfect.
QUESTION – do you think that I could use 1% milk instead? Thanks!
OHMYGOLLYGETINMYBELLY! This looks amazing. I’ve been making radish & bacon pancakes for a few weeks as a twist on Japanese okonomiyaki and they have been wonderful. I can’t wait to try these too! You can’t feel bad about pancakes if they are full of veggies. THANKYOU!
I made this for dinner last night. They went over so incredibly well that we cooked the remaining batter for dinner tonight, this time adding the David Lebovitz carrot salad you recommended. Delicious! This is one for the “I have no idea what to make for dinner” folder!
(We used swiss chard from our summer garden that we’d stashed in the freezer. Sometimes, in August, you can’t take one more leaf of chard. And now, in January, I say thank goodness for that summer overabundance!)
Thank you!
I made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious! You know what sauce pairs nicely with them if you forget to buy plain yogurt? The Fake Shack burger sauce! (I’ve been a little obsessed with your recipes, Deb, and have made all sorts of deliciousness lately!). My 2 year old loved them. The (insanely picky) 5 year old declined to try them. (Sigh). Thank you for sharing with us and inspiring us!
Whoops. I put my old blog address in instead of my new one in my comment above. That first one is Chinese (no longer mine). Sorry! Tried to edit my comment but have no idea how to do so.
THANK YOU! My family and I have been on a healthy eating kick (i.e., no carbs or refined sugar), so I subbed in almond flour and it worked perfectly. We griddled them instead of frying, but used less batter so they still had crispy edges. They looked exactly like diner pancakes, but green. I also happened to have some almond pesto on hand from your green beans recipe posted over the summer, so that of course snuck its way into the toppings as well. HUGE hit. You rock.
My 8-month-old decided she will no longer eat purees, so I was looking for recipes we could eat as a family and this seemed promising. I made hers without salt and she ate every last bit, saying “mmmm” the whole time. My husband and I might have done the same. Thanks for the recipe!
I try to do a color themed dinner each week for my kids. It’s fun and keeps a lot of variety in our diet, but after a while they just weren’t that excited about “green dinner”. These were such a hit! Bright green, warm and tasty, and great with broccoli cheese soup on the side. I served then with Mexican crema. Lots of giggles from the under five crowd.
AMAZING. I’ve made them once with chard, twice with spinach. Great every time. My 2 year old inhales them. As did adult (and kiddo) brunchers recently. I like them with the lemon yoghurt and your dreamy creamy hummus. Quick, easy, flexible, and an appropriate dinosaur/monster colour – many thanks Deb!
This has become one of my favorite things to make over the weekend. I dont fry it though, instead cook it like pancakes, and that imo makes it even tastier!
Deb – I just made up a small batch of these and put the rest of the batter away to make more tomorrow. I must say I think they’re slightly bland. Do you think adding fresh mint or cilantro would be good? Or, a little parmesan? Will that change the integrity of the pancake too much? I do like their crepe-like feel. Please advise, thanks!
Stacey — No reason you cannot add more ingredients; the recipe is flexible. Be sure to season it well with salt and pepper. It’s still a very greens-and-onion mild flavor, but seasoning does a lot for them.
These had a really nice flavor, and the lemony yogurt was delicious on top! But I found the dense flatness unappealing, and plan to add some baking powder next time, to make them more like the pancakes I anticipated.
Finally made these after weeks of longing for them and yum! I have long been on the veggie pancake bandwagon but these are more pancake-like/less fritter-ish than my usual iterations.
Anyway probably my own fault for fiddling with them, but I definitely found them more thick/fluffy than I expected. I halved the recipe (only me) and used rye flour and buttermilk instead of regular in both. I also used 2 eggs, (because 1.5 is silly) and frozen spinach, thus adding a smidgen more flour to equal the extra liquid. Well I found the batter very thick, so added another 1/4 cup milk. It was still a thicker batter than yours showed (but no different than my typical pancake batter) and the cooked up fluffy and delicious but lacked the thin and scalloped edges yours have. Delicious all the same, but do you think this was a rye flour issue? A buttermilk one? Or just a “don’t f with the recipe” issue?
These sound great but I’m surprised the chard isn’t cooked a little first to rid it of it’s liquid. If I do cook it, should I increase the milk?
I made these sometime early this year and forgot to review. There was a huge amount of batter (too much for a food processor, in case anyone wonders – leaked out the top while blending, oops!) and I kept it in the fridge for about a week, making batches every other day or so. The batter needed stirring each day or two until gone because it started to separate just a little, I imagine because the onions wept. They don’t actually need much oil to fry on a nonstick skillet, but it gives them nice crispy edges. I thought they absorbed a little too much oil for my taste overall, but again – crispy edges!
We had leftover lemony feta spread from your feta tapenade tarte soleil and my husband LOVED it on these pancakes. I want to try freezing and will separate layers with parchment paper. Hope to report back.
I just got back from Aveyron on Monday. I had these for the first time at winery restaurant near Entraygues. Yum! Now I can make them at home too. My husband and I are remodeling a building we bought in a medieval village in Aveyron. I found out after having them that there is a vendor who makes them at our weekly market in the village. So I know I can always get them on the next visit. Aveyron is an undiscovered gem region in France. Tongue in cheek described as 20 years behind Paris in everything…. We love it!
Hmm. I think these have potential, but didn’t love them on the first try. I don’t think they should be cooked in that much oil. I fiddled with the temp a lot, and no matter what they came out greasy greasy greasy. I much preferred the one I cooked in less oil. I really liked the flavor (I used cilantro, garlic chives, a couple scallions, and a serrano pepper) BUT I didn’t love the lemon yogurt topping and had a hard time thinking of something else. Which surprised me b/c I’m usually the condiment girl. Anyway, I think they would be better with a FILLING. I’m going to experiment tonight to see if I can thin out the leftover batter a bit and make it like a crepe with a sauteed mushroom and ricotta filling or something like that. Fingers crossed!
If I don’t have a food processor, would it be possible to make this recipe by finely chopping instead?
These pancakes are delicious and easy to modify! I halved the recipe and used 1/2 a yellow onion, a handful of fresh basil, and a small piece of ginger in place of the green onions/shallot/parsley. I also used about 1/2 cup plain yogurt and only 1/2 cup milk, and I added 2 tsp baking powder. Served with the lemon yogurt, they were so, so tasty! I don’t normally love pancakes but these were hard to stop eating. PS – if you’re looking for an additional condiment to go with the pancakes, a little swirl of sriracha on top of the lemon yogurt was a really great enhancement.
These were so flavorful and I loved the texture! The inside was soft, but the edges were so crisp. I didn’t even make a sauce to go with them – just a sprinkle of sea salt. I used some curly kale I got in my CSA box, and it worked perfectly. The texture and the bitterness of curly kale are not my favorite, and these pancakes tamed both of those attributes so well.
Hmmm, mine were kind of bland too and because I somehow totally missed on the fact that they had to be fried (I used my crepière with barely any oil), they had no crispy edges whatsoever so they were flat and not so appealing. But I have left-over batter so I will try to fry them tonight and also add more seasoning (the chives were kind of old too).
Definitively better – but way messier – fried! I had so much batter that I was able to use them yet a third time. This time I used a pan with barely any oil and it was better than with the crepière (it must not get that hot) and easier than fried.
I made these this morning! I halved the recipe and used teff flour instead of all purpose and they were delicious! I kept it to three eggs since teff flour needs a little softening but wow…they were spectacular.
I took a picture if you wanted to see. They are browner than the pics above, but I still think they are appetizing (although my photography is not).
Loved this idea! We don’t eat eggs, so I swapped for a tablespoon or so of ground flaxseed. I also used half chickpea flour, as someone else suggested (reminiscent of Indian “omelets.”) My toddler loved them with just some plain yogurt. Thanks!
Hmm, maybe I did something wrong. Seems no matter how long I cook these pancakes for they maintain a raw flour taste and are gummy. What gives? Any idea?
The same thing is happening to me as well! I’d love to know what to do to make them less gummy. Less flour and more egg, maybe?
Made these with spinach since no chard in the house. Came out crepe batter consistency so cooked 1/3 cup thinly spread. Added a mushroom, spinach, goat cheese filling. Yum!
I used this recipe as a template but made them Indian-style with garam masala, tumeric, cumin, and red peper flakes. Creative dinner idea, though I found the cooking method a bit fussy.
I made these with a small yellow onion, a tiny shallot, and a bunch of scallions. I forgot to add salt, and was surprised by how bland they were – I won’t forget the salt again. Maybe the fact I used almond milk contributed to that. Still very edible, especially with lemon squeezed over top. I did find it a pain to make these in the blender though – my blender was way fuller than it has ever been and was clearly struggling a bit. I wanted to add more chard, but didn’t think the blender could handle it. Perhaps I’ll try the food processor next. Also, I did use more batter than you did and have larger pancakes, but mine also seem much fluffier and taller than yours – no idea why. I fried mine in a small puddle of oil in a cast iron, and definitely needed time on paper towels. Hopefully the leftovers crisp up a bit more, too.
I need help. I am a chef who cooks for a gluten free client; can I use cornmeal or glutten free flour for the pancakes?
just wanted to let you know that my 14 year old son asked out of the clear blue the other day that i bring this back for dinner this week! we love them (he even loves the carrot salad you linked.) and, he also found another use for leftover pancakes…. we use them to make breakfast sammies by reheating and filling with a fried egg and cheese! they were perfect for the week he got all his braces put on and needed to stick to softer foods. i don’t this recipe will ever fall off our dinner rotation!
Deb, I just wanted to thank you for this recipe. I have a one year old, and she LOVES these pancakes. I make a batch on the weekend, freeze them, and heat them in the toaster oven for her all week long – fabulous for a working mom. As you said, it’s a wonderfully flexible recipe. I sub half of the flour with whole wheat flower and usually add some baby oatmeal and chia seeds too, just to make them healthier. I even added a whole zucchini to them tonight and they came out well! I also cook them in just a bit of butter like regular pancakes instead of frying them in lots of oil. I don’t think they’re quite what Dorie had in mind, but they’re a staple in my house and a wonderful way to get a baby to eat greens. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe for kids.
My toddler has loved these too! They are a staple in our house.
Loved these! Made with kale and accompanied by the lemon yogurt you suggested, I had them for dinner and again for lunch, and have enough batter to do it again. Thanks so much!!
love this recipe and have made it numerous times as written but last night I used it as a guide for cleaning out the fridge – I used a mixture of buttermilk and whipping cream, a whole bunch of chard (an extra 6 or 7 leaves), some mint and basil in addition to the parsley and chives and at the last minute a lot of crumbled feta. Maybe closer to fritters but they were delish and I’m thinking about how tasty the leftovers will be for lunch.
One of the comments mentioned making these as waffles. I figured that would be a good way to make these for my oil-avoiding husband. I made them in the waffle iron tonight. Mixed results… They were not crisp, even though I baked them longer than I would a “regular” waffle. I halved the recipe, and I have two waffles left. I’ll reheat them in the toaster, which will perhaps crisp them up. I will likely try this again, but will pan fry them with some oil -0- less than Deb’s recipe but not dry.
Deb, first let me tell you what a big fan I am! I love your writing and your recipes! Second, I made these, I think, to a T, but they came out pretty gummy. Any idea what I might have done wrong?
I have made these multiple times with different greens: various chard, kale, collards, every time perfect. I tend to double/triple the garlic in everything I make, and I subbed spring onions and 3 large shallots. I also tend to leave the greens in large chunks for more texture.
I always treat them like a crepe swirl of butter in a hot cast iron pan, ladle of mixture that I spread out thin, fry until golden. I usually eat the one fresh out of the pan as I cook the next. I’ve never been able to wait to eat these. I’ve also never found they need a sauce or accompaniment.
I apologize, this is one of those “I made this, but not with those ingredients” posts. Your 2-1/2 cups of flour became my mix of whole wheat, all-purpose, and almond flour. Your fresh chard became my 10 oz box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed. My eggs looked a bit on the small side, so I threw in a fourth. Oh, and I had no milk, so reconstituted powdered milk. (Other than that. I was there!) Even with going way off the reservation, the pancakes were delicious, and looked pretty good, too. Thanks for such a forgiving recipe. Next time, I’m going with your suggested ingredients!
Ooh, soooo good!!!! Currently finishing up frying the last few, and just tasted. Almost ate them all right then and there.
I made this with my four grain pancake base modified from the Joy of Cooking version to exclude cornmeal. Awesome.
I was reading your crispy rice and egg bowl with ginger-scallion vinaigrette recipe and had to click on this one when I saw it. The flavor combination is something that would never think of, but it sounds awfully tasty and I think I’ll have to give it a try!
Am I the only idiot that almost killed both their food processor (overflowed) and blender (the batter was sooo thick!) before even adding the chard? I mean, I should have done the math on the volume of liquids against the max of my 7 cup food processor, but this was a total fail for me.
The recipe made a lot for two people. I froze the leftovers. We ate them the other day and they tasted great. Love them with the yogurt.
These were delicious! I loved the combo with the yogurt-y lemon sauce too.
Next time I make these, I want to try them more as a fritter and less of a pancake. In other words, more veggies (onions, chard) and throw in some grated potatoes and an extra egg, and use less flour. I was hoping for more “bite.”
Still, very very tasty and a fun weeknight meal!
I’ve made a lot of the fritter-type things on your site! I love this one maybe best of all, and how customizable it is. We grow a ton of kale, chard, and other bitter greens and I am always looking for palatable ways to enjoy them (not for a picky kid eater but for my own picky self!).
Hey Deb! It is swiss chard season and I’d love to give these a try again. As other posters have pointed out, these are a bit gummy. Do you know why? Any ideas for how to make them less so, or is that the right texture?
I think it’s the texture that Dorie Greenspan intended — these are pancakes that channel crepes, not American-style cakey pancakes. If you want a more diner-style pancake, you might add these vegetables and ingredients to a more classic buttermilk pancake.
What is the weight of the swiss chard leaves?
I have made this twice, once with swiss chard & spinach, and once with spinach and kale and both times have been uncertain what the weight of greens is. I live in Holland and the size of our produce varies greatly from that in the states!
I really want to make these to shove more greens into my diet, but I am a little confused about the chives. The recipe says 10 chives, but the images have green onions. Just want to confirm you used green onions/scallions as they are much different than chives (to my understanding). Thanks Deb I love everything you make!!! <3
I mention in the post: “I used scallions in lieu of fresh onion and chives (as my herb garden up and froze on me the night before, sob).” You can use either.
Looking forward to trying these out on my toddler (and myself of course)! And, putting in a request to revisit a variation inspired by saag paneer and/or a regular saag paneer recipe :)
Guests loved these (and I did, too). It makes a ton of batter, which ended up overwhelming my food processor. What I ended up doing was, after I measured each ingredient, I dumped 1/2 into the food processor and 1/2 into the blender. Then at the end, I combined both batches and stirred them together. We had these with the suggested carrot salad, and holy smokes. That salad! How could something so simple, and so spare, be SO delicious? I liked eating it in a little farçous taco. Delicious AND cute. Oh, and to the poster who suggested using leftover pancakes to sandwich an egg… BLESS YOU.
Made a take on these for lunch today since I had some swiss chard in the fridge…
Did 1/2 batch for the base ingredients (flour, eggs, etc). Based on other “made this” variation comments – I used 1 green onion (no chives or shallot), ~4 swiss chard leaves, garlic, parsley, basil, and sprinkled in some powdered ginger + a bit of baking powder.
Started by frying the first ones in oil. That seemed to absorb quickly, so I cooked the rest in the pan with what was left/without. The later ones were more pancake like than crisp (and I started to make them larger). Because of the texture change, I made these into “roll ups” – kind of inspired by lefse – in two different combos.
1) spread of pesto, microgreens, sliced radishes
2) spread of plain yogurt, diced strawberries
For both I squeezed a little lemon juice on and ate while standing in my kitchen.
Delicious and probably not the intent, but these were great. I think if I had fried them, they’d be more latke like (love the idea), but this worked for me too. :) Probably won’t go on my regular rotation, although a fun kitchen experiment.
These look great. It’s May and we are all locked down, and the CSA box is all full of leaves. So this will be very useful.
These are delicious. I made them using whole wheat pastry flour and spread them thin to about 8 inches in diameter. We use them as wraps for lentil dishes. The ingredients are flexible, I use whatever green herbs and onions we have.
The perfect back pocket recipe for these days when the Farm Share box has a LOT of leaves in it. I’ve made them with chard, spinach, a bunch of … what was that, well it’s green and I can soak it in ice water. My least favorite was Kale, but even that worked fine. Love it!
I’ve been making once, maybe twice a week since, well, since the CSA/farm share summer season began. Chard. Kale. Summer squash. Cauliflower. Lunch. Supper. Incredibly useful recipe. Thank you!
I made these tonight in our Belgian waffle maker – so good! I probably would have added some oil to the batter to give the exteriors some more crispiness (that I would have gotten from frying as pancakes). I didn’t have, well, a bunch of the flavory things, actually (regular onion, parsley, chives), so used two shallots and crossed my fingers.
My almost 5yo, to whom a waffle is a waffle is a waffle, asked for his with whipped cream, tasted it, and then asked me to “take out the garlic because I don’t like garlic” – I had a couple bites of his rejected waffle while the rest were cooking and it actually wasn’t terrible with a tiny bit of whipped cream. *shrug emoji*
My husband and I enjoyed them, though, and I will definitely make them as Belgian waffles again!
Oh, I also used two almost-dried-up scallions that have been lounging in the onion bin for ages. I don’t know if they brought much to the party but at least they’ve been used now.
I love the bright green color of these, and their versatility! This time I added nearly 1/2 cup of milk to the batter and used only a little oil in a cast iron pan to make them crepe-like thin, so we could make them into rolls with a shmear of cream cheese and a thin layer of lox (my kids prefer to eat with their hands than a knife & fork). Such a quick, easy & healthy weeknight dinner!
I’m obsessed with this recipe. I highly recommend enjoying these with some lox, as I did. Together with the yogurt and some greens – and the carrot salad, too – it’s this perfect mildly sweet-sour-salty fast, healthy-ish meal. Wonderful.
This is the exact “hide the vegetables” recipe I need right now! I love the idea someone in the comments had of making these thinner/more crepe-y and then adding a filling before rolling them up … I’ll likely veganize them and try adding a chickpea-mushroom filling (or just adding it on top, depending on how the batter wants to roll when cooking). Also love Deb’s idea in the recipe notes to make these with saag paneer flavors! This looks like such a versatile recipe and I can’t wait to try it out.
I had already made a note of this recipe, but hadn’t tried it yet, when I saw it again the same morning my new and *so very fancy* All Clad two-square waffle maker arrived. It’s a serious machine…and definitely qualifies as a pandemic purchase. I started thinking about savory waffles and wonder what you think about trying this recipe as a waffle – ?
I wouldn’t waffle this because it’s a more crepe-like batter and you’ll want something with more of a puffy volume. But I could see using this or this base for savory waffles, deliciously.
Note to self: Made these with 1 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup ground flax seed instead of all purpose. Threw in green garlic & celery tops. At first they were falling apart. Added 2 eggs to the batter and they were perfect and didn’t require so much oil to fry.
I have been making your recipe for years and thought I should let you know how much my husband requests it. I add some baking powder so the pancakes are puffy😄….per husbands request. He just pops them on the toaster for a snack or I make them as an accompaniment for various soups😘…..especially borscht!😄
What do you think about using beet instead of chard? My kiddo doesn’t eat anything green 😭
Over the years, I have increased the greens in this recipe to a lot more, reduced the milk to 1 cup, the eggs to 2 and the AP to about ½ cup, and if it seems like the batter is not thick enough, I top it up with millet flour which to my surprise for some reasons adds an absolutely delicious flavor to this pancake. . . . well, what I make tends to be less pancake-y tall and more flatbread-y flat but my four year loves this, so, all is good! This is one of his favorite lunch box lunches. Thanks Deb, for sharing this one! I can’t count how many times I’ve made this. though it HAS been relegated to a school lunch box item . . . maybe one of these days I will bring it back to the dinner table!
crepe-y! not flatbread-y . . . I make mine more crepe-y!
We love these so much. I grow chard just to make them!
Made as written, but after breaking my blender I had to chop and mix in the Swiss chard leaves by hand. (I can’t seem to keep a blender around!) These seemed to get gigantic as they cooked, because I was conscientious about just putting in a small ladleful. They are filling! We all loved them. Served with (just to be different) a Moroccan carrot salad with cumin.
These are amazing! Beautiful, light, fluffy and incredible flavor. My kids will barely eat greens and devoured these!
I love smitten kitchen, but I really didn’t like this recipe! I think I should’ve known better reading it, I’m not a huge fan of super fried foods. I guess I thought the greens would give it a little something more. But it’s basically an over beaten pancake, with no other leavener, like baking soda, so it results in a pancake that is overly chewy and gooey to boot. Frying it just made a mess. And not enough flavor, I topped with loads of hot sauce.
So… I was going to halve this recipe but decided to make the full amount in case that messed with the proportions.
I fried up a few for lunch, and found them really heavy. Did they maybe need leavening? More eggs? Less flour? Whatever, they were very slab-like. Not crepe-like, and definitely not fluffy.’I love tee concept, and welcome anyone who has been able to tweak them to make them …. ahem, not slabs o’ green.