ITALIAN BAKED Pancakes Rachel Allen
This is absolutely delicious and really light, very nice with salad on the side
For batter
5oz flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
4floz milk
4floz water
1/2 oz melted butter
sunflower oil for oiling the pan
For the tom sauce
3tbsp olive oil
1 onion peeled and finely sliced
4 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar
2 400g tins of chopped toms or 2lb of fresh toms peeled and chopped
3 tbsp torn fresh basil leaves
for the filling
11oz fresh grated mozzarella
4oz ricotta
1oz parmesan finely grated plus extra for sprinkling
(personally I think you can get away with 2oz less mozzarella)
First make the pancakes. Place flour and salt ina bowl, make a well in the centre and drop in the eggs. Start to whisk and gradually add milk and water whisking all the time until it's smooth. Add in the melted butter and set aside for up to 24 hours in the fridge.
Next make the tomato sauce, Place the olive oil in a wide saucepan, add the onion and garlic season with salt and pepper and cover and cook on a low heat until the onions are completely soft. Add the toms and half the basil, leave uncovered and cook for 20 minutes until the toms are soft and sauce has thickened. Add the remaining basil and season with salt pepper and a pinch of sugar.
While the sauce is cooking you can make the pancakes. Place a medium sized frying pan on a high heat and allow to become very hot. Wipe the pan with an oiled piece of kitchen paper. Pour in just enough batter to cover the base of the pan. Cook on high for 30 seconds-1min until pancake is golden around the edge - flip and repeat. Remove to a plate - batter should make eight pancakes. - I put greaseproof or baking parchment between each cooked pancake so they don't stick together
Preheat oven to 180c conventional) Mix the mozarella and ricotta cheeses together in a bowl to make a spreadable paste.
To assemble, place a pancake on the bottom of a 25cm sq or round ovenproof disk. Spread with a thin layer of the cheese mixture. Top with another pancake and continue assembling, alternative seven layers of pancake and filling. Finish with a top layer of pancake.
pour over tom sauce and sprinkle over parmesan, place in oven (or store in fridge ovenight or freeze). Bake for 30-40mins until the sauce is bubbling round the edges and the centre feels hot when poked with a skewer.