Baked Spinach and Ham Pancakes

You can cook the pancakes well in advance. Assemble the whole dish, then bake just before serving. The pancakes are made with half wholemeal flour and half plain flour to be light yet higher in fibre than regular pancakes.

Ingredients for baked spinach and ham pancakes

Pancakes:
 ⅓ cup (50 g) plain flour
 ⅓ cup (50 g) wholemeal flour
 1 egg
 1 cup (250 ml) low-fat milk
 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Filling:
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 6 spring onions, sliced
 150 g cap mushrooms, sliced
 250 g English spinach
 150 g cooked smoked ham, diced
 ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
 1 cup (250 g) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
 ¼ cup (25 g) grated parmesan cheese

Preparation method for baked spinach and ham pancakes

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. To make the pancakes, sift both flours into a bowl, adding any bran left in the sieve to the bowl. Add the egg and a pinch of salt, then gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth batter. (This can be done in a blender or food processor.) Transfer to a jug.

2. Heat a frying pan to very hot and brush lightly with some of the oil. Pour a little pancake batter into the pan and quickly swirl around to coat the base evenly. When the batter is set and the underside is lightly browned, turn the pancake and cook the other side until golden. Remove and place on paper towel. Repeat with the remaining batter to make eight pancakes. Stack them, interleaved with paper towel or baking paper. (The pancakes can be frozen.)

3. To make the filling, heat the oil in the frying pan and fry the spring onions and mushrooms for 2–3 minutes to soften. On a high heat, add the spinach leaves, stirring until the leaves wilt and all the excess liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in the ham. Add the nutmeg and season to taste.

4. Lay the pancakes out flat and spoon a little ricotta onto each. Top with one-eighth of the mushroom and spinach mixture, then roll up.

5. Place the pancakes, seam-sides down, in a lightly oiled, shallow ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake for 15 minutes until thoroughly heated and lightly browned. Serve hot.

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