If You Can Get True Buttermilk

It's almost Shrove Tuesday. I know because I'm getting the usual hints and reminders that pancake making needs to be factored-in to the food plans soon. With its approach comes the usual thoughts of what kind of pancakes to make, Buttermilk Pancakes with their tangy, ripe fermented flavour and open texture that sucks up syrup like a sponge. Their satisfaction quotient belies the fact that buttermilk has only a 2% fat content, being the liquid leftover from the butter-making process.

If you can get true buttermilk, rather than the supermarket 'cultured' variety, your pancakes will taste so much better. However, my favourite pancake for this day of the year, and probably yours too, is the one who's mixing I don't even have to think about; the one I've made 'forever'.

My Shrove Tuesday Pancakes, I've learned, fall somewhere between Jane Grigson's "Pancakes for the Poor" and "Pancakes for the Rich". This is almost certainly the one I will make on 17 February. There will be sugar and fresh lemons on the table, and Lyle's Golden Syrup for some (me). But I've already offered you recipes for both of these pancake mixes.

So here's a Ricotta version. Ricotta is a soft Italian cheese made from milk whey left over from cheesemaking. The resultant pancakes are richer than the buttermilk version, having a higher fat content, and producing a similarly fluffy-texture. This is my go-to recipe for Ricotta Pancakes. It's adapted from the one in Breakfast, Lunch, Tea by Rose Carrarini of Rose Bakery in Paris and includes the reminder: 'when adding "wet to dry" never knock the air out of the mixture by over-mixing the batter.

Cook the stir-fry vegetables in another pan with a splash of water and add the soy sauce and reserved marinade, cooking for a further 2-3 min or according to the packet instructions. Pile the stir-fry vegetables on to a plate and top with the crispy cod. Scatter over the sesame seeds and serve. JOE recommends eating two snacks a day, whether you have done a workout or not.

He suggests turning to either an apple, 75g of blueberries, a boiled egg or 30g of nuts - bite-size portions that will quell your appetite while keeping your plan on track. 1. IN one week you will work out four or five times for 20 minutes, with two or three rest days. Rest day meals - three reduced-carb meals, plus two snacks.

2. Reduced-carb meals - these recipes are full of protein, high in fat, low in carbohydrate, without added sugar. Perfect for keeping you fuller for longer when you are not working out. 3. Post-workout meals - these are low in fat but high in protein and carbohydrate, just what the body loves to refuel so eat these meals after exercise.

The batter should be lumpy. If you want to add fruit or nuts, stir them in now, or you can sprinkle them on the pancakes when they’re on the griddle. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat (375 degrees on an electric griddle). Pour 1/2 cup batter per pancake onto the griddle or skillet, spacing the pancakes apart so they don’t run together.

Chocolate. It’s what’s for breakfast. It’s even better when paired with homemade salted caramel sauce. This isn’t the type of breakfast you’d make every day, but it sure is a good one when you do. It’s my birthday today and they’d make a nice birthday breakfast. But I made them last weekend and they’re long gone.

The pancakes are light, soft, and fluffy from the buttermilk. They’re anything but lead balloons, a major gripe I have with many pancakes. And if you can get the pancakes to look like Pac-Man, they taste even better. I loved that game and could play it for hours, but I digress. The pancakes appear fairly dark because I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder, but they look darker and more intense than they actually taste. I love my dark chocolate, but I don’t want bitter for breakfast.

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