Oh, that I have these soft and delicious swiss chard pancakes to post is a miracle. But they are the easiest ever made in the blender! Have them ready to eat in 15 minutes!
This tumultuous month of April is coming to an end and things in the kitchen are slowly going back to normal, whatever that means. After being completely absent from any baking or cooking, this past week I made some homemade marshmallows, the best chocolate cookies ever and a few cakes.
Anyway, on to these gorgeous little pancakes made with swiss chard.
They are our selected recipe for today's French Fridays with Dorie group. Let me tell you these are some lovely pancakes as a side dish or a light meal. A great way to eat your greens.
Looking through my posted recipes, it turns out I have very few pancake recipes.
What is swiss chard?
It is a green, leafy vegetable that can be grown most of the year, but usually peaks during the summer months. The leaves go from a lighter green (image above, left) to a dark reddish tone. Same with the stalks.
It is highly nutritious, as most dark greens are. It can be used in soups, smoothies, tarts, pancakes and many other recipes.
The poor vegetable has a very bad rep in this country, mainly because, for the longest time, restaurants and shops used to sell it saying it was spinach. Any ravioli or cannelloni filling that said green vegetables had cheap swiss chard instead of pricey spinach. Pig in a poke.
About this pancake recipe.
Flour: I used whole wheat flour but you can use all-purpose white flour or even alternate with another such as buckwheat.
Sometimes I get this need to think I'm eating healthy, and for some reason, these swiss chard pancakes got caught in one of those days. Maybe it was the fact that my swiss chard was organic. I finally found a few places that deliver a lot of organic stuff, and a place where to buy it that's close to my house. It's not an easy thing in this city, to eat organic just like that.
Blender: the mixture is made in the blender and doesn't take more than 10 minutes between washing and measuring.
Steps for making this recipe.
- Put all ingredients, except swiss chard in the jar of a blender.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add chard and mix a bit. Don't overdo it as it's nice to have some shards in the pancakes.
- Preheat skillet.
- Cook pancakes.
- Eat with sour cream and chives. Or whatever you want.
One of the main ingredients for flavor is the onion/shallots that are added. They round out the whole thing.
Other recipes you might like:
The Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Cornmeal Berry Pancakes
Basmati Rice with Salsa Verde
Sesame Peas and Green Beans
Swiss Chard Pancakes
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 30 small pancakes 1x
- Category: Side dishes
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: International
Description
Soft and delicious swiss chard pancakes, they are the easiest ever made in the blender!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (500ml) whole milk
- 2 ½ cups (335g) all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, at room t°
- 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 shallot, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, split, germ removed
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 5 large or 10 small Swiss chard leaves, center ribs removed, washed, and dried
- Olive oil and/or butter to cook the pancakes
Instructions
Have ready a large skillet.
In the jar of a blender, put all ingredients except for the chard.
Blend until smooth and creamy.
With the machine running, add chard leaves gradually.
Blend until mixed but don't completely pulverize the greens. It's nice to have some small pieces. Or not. It's up to you.
Let stand while you preheat the skillet over medium heat.
Drizzle a small amount of oil on the hot skillet and test it. A drop of batter should sizzle immediately.
Drop between ⅛ and ¼ cup of batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Depending on the size of your skillet you will be able to make 3-4 at a time. But don't overcrowd, leave room to flip them.
Cook until beginning to bubble and dry and curl at the edges, and flip over.
Eat immediately with seasoned sour cream and some chopped fresh chives or herbs.
Notes
If making a large batch, keep them warm in the oven while you prepare them.
Freezing: they freeze really well, I still have some in my freezer, all neatly stacked with plastic squares between them. Just reheat them in the oven at a low temperature, add a dollop of seasoned creme fraiche and eat.
Seasonings: add some spiciness with a pinch of paprika, or a tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs to the blender.
Keywords: swiss chard pancakes
Kudos to you for having so many recipes prepped. One of my worst food blogger habits is never having enough recipes ready and waiting for me.
I'm so happy that life is getting back to normal for you. Thank you for sharing these savory pancakes.
Paual, so good to read that the unsettling times have calmed down or come to a halt, that is. And how very nice your fabulous stack of wholewheat and Swiss chard pancakes looks - just simply delicious!
Glad to hear things are getting back to normal, Paula. I'm so impressed that you are organized enough to have these made so far ahead. I'm lucky if I get the FFwD recipe done by Thursday. Have a great week!
I love this idea - and so healthy! Fun for dinner too...
I am so glad to hear things are returning to normal for you! And these pancakes are a wonderful way to get back into the swing! These actually sound so much better with the whole wheat flour (versus regular) as I think it gives them more body. It now makes me wonder about trying them with some chickpea flour! Take care and I hope the rest of the winter is calm! ~ David
i'm lucky enough to be able to grow swiss chard - or 'silverbeet' as it is commonly known in australia. it's a staple in my garden as it grows all year round. so reliable! i even wrote a post about my love of silverbeet (http://diginhobart.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/tall-dark-and-handsome-silverbeet.html ).
i'm usually happy to have it fairly plain or in a vegie bake / quiche - but these pancakes are a fabulous idea! thanks paula for a new way to enjoy one of my favourite vegies.
Beautiful photography too...
there's something fancy about staging food
What a healty, tasty and beauty recipes,
great greeny colored pancake...
i think some cryspy bacon will make it hips even more...
They look so perfect and healthy.
Great recipe !
Hi Paula, looks like you took healthy pancakes to a whole new level! well, maybe except for that yummy dollop of creamy something on top. all things in moderation though, right?
Such pancakes would taste so good with some smoked salmon.. 🙂
I am wishing you and all those recovering a quick recovery. Spring is my favorite time of the year with all the delicious new greens like swiss chard are in season. I love your savory pancake and the dallop of cream is just dreamy.
I adore that the green of the chard is seen in the pancakes, so vibrant! Happy to hear you are easing back into "normal" and looking forward to the new recipes you will share with us!