Vegetarian mains
Moroccan carrot and buckwheat crêpes
Moroccan spices go well with carrots, and other roots for that matter. We're using toasted buckwheat, aka kasha, as the filling for the crêpes alongside the veg and spices. It's a gluten-free seed with a nutty flavour, a great source of protein, fibre and other nutrients. Following the theme, we're also using buckwheat flour, which is used in traditional French-style crêpes. It gives the crêpes a slightly darker colour.
Cook's notes
If you want to get ahead, make the pancakes in advance, layering them between sheets of greaseproof paper. They can be kept in the fridge then gently warmed in the oven. If you have any batter mix left over, you can always freeze it.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 100g buckwheat flour
- 300ml milk
- 600g unpodded broad beans
- 30g fresh parsley
- 15g fresh mint
- 25g pine nuts
- oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 50g toasted buckwheat
- 1 garlic clove
- 300g carrots
- 1 large or 2 small red onions
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried mint
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 75g Wootton white cheese
- 1 lemon
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
First make the crèpe batter. Crack the egg into a large bowl, add the flour and a good pinch of salt. Whisk, gradually adding 300ml of milk to make a smooth batter. Leave to stand while you prepare the beans.
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Step 2
Put a pan of water on for the broad beans. Pod the beans. Once the pan is boiling, add the beans. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until tender. Drain and refresh under cold water, then peel off the outer skin to reveal the bright green bean inside (you can skip this part, but I prefer the skins off).
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Step 3
Wash and shake dry the mint and parsley. Finely chop the leaves of both. Put the pine nuts in a dry, non-stick frying pan. Gently heat, stirring regularly, until lightly golden and toasted. Keep a good eye on them as they catch and burn quickly. Transfer to a plate.
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Step 4
Next, make the crêpes. Using kitchen paper soaked in oil, wipe the frying pan to coat it. Heat the pan. Using a ladle, add enough batter, swirling it around the pan to cover. Fry for about 1 minute, until bubbles start to form and it's golden-brown on the bottom. Carefully turn and cook the other side. Often the first doesn't work out; we've given you enough batter to make 5-6, so there is some to spare.
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Step 5
Transfer to a large baking sheet or ovenproof plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter so you have 4 good ones. Layering each one on the tray with greaseproof or foil in between to stop them sticking together. Make sure you cover the last one, as they'll be going in the oven later.
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Step 6
Put the toasted buckwheat in a pan with twice the volume of water. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes, until some looks soft but you can still see some crunchy bits remaining. Put your oven on a low heat, 150°C/Gas Mark 2.
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Step 7
Peel and finely chop or crush 1 garlic clove. Peel and coarsely grate the carrots. Finely slice the red onion. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring now and then to stop it catching.
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Step 8
Add a splash of water if it looks like it might. Put the crêpes in the oven to gently warm, do this about halfway through the onion cooking time. Add the dried herbs and spices and garlic to the onion. Stir for 1 minute. Add the carrots and buckwheat.
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Step 9
Gently stir to warm through and soften the carrots a little. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pine nuts and all but 1 tablespoon each of the chopped parsley and mint. Crumble in the Wootton white cheese. Season and gently mix it all together.
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Step 10
Fill the warm crêpes with a little of the buckwheat and carrot mixture. Roll them up. Gently warm the broad beans in a small pan. Stir in the remaining herbs. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper and a glug of olive oil, all to taste. Serve the crêpes with the beans.