Reader recipe: Beetroot pancakes

Name: Reader recipe: Beetroot pancakes
Ingredients: 1 Beetroot, medium (Main); 1 Tbsp Lemon juice, or white vinegar; 1 cup Milk; 2 Oranges; 2 Eggs; 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing oil over frying pan; 1 Tbsp Brown sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping; 1 cup Standard flour, sifted; 1 tsp Ground cinnamon

Bite

This is a recipe that we can get the kids on to for the school holidays. Jiuan, who is a kitchen specialist for the Garden to Table programme, says the recipe has been used many times by the children at East Tamaki School under the Garden to Table programme and is a good recipe for young learners as it involves many techniques — mashing, zesting and squeezing citrus, stirring, slicing and most of all flipping the pancakes. The added bonus to this recipe is that it uses beetroot as a natural way to add colour to food, which makes the pancakes fun and all the more appealing to kids. Makes 8 pancakes.

Equipment

You will need a non-stick frying pan, fish slice, soup ladle, measuring cup and spoon, knife, chopping board, sieve, potato masher, two small and one medium mixing bowls, a pastry brush, spatula, serving plate and clean tea towel.

Ingredients

1	Beetroot, medium (Main)
1 Tbsp	Lemon juice, or white vinegar
1 cup	Milk
2	Oranges
2	Eggs
1 Tbsp	Vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing oil over frying pan
1 Tbsp	Brown sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping
1 cup	Standard flour, sifted
1 tsp	Ground cinnamon

Directions

Scrub the beetroot and boil in a pot of water until tender (a fork slides easily into it) approx. 40-50 minutes. Mash well with a potato masher or blend in a food processor.
Make your own buttermilk by stiring white vinegar or lemon juice into milk. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Zest or finely grate the skin of the oranges and thinly slice the fruit.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the mashed beetroot, buttermilk, eggs, oil, orange rind and 1 Tbsp sugar. Mix through the flour with a fork or whisk until smooth. Set the batter aside for 30 minutes. The batter should be of a pouring consistency. If it is too thick, add some milk.
Over medium heat, brush oil over a non-stick frying pan. Pour in one ladle of batter. Tip and rotate the frying pan until the batter covers the entire area. Cook until it is lightly golden. Turn the pancake over and continue cooking until lightly golden on the other side.
Place the pancake on to a plate, and cover with a tea towel to keep moist. Repeat with the remaining batter - lightly brush oil over the frying pan as needed to keep the pancakes from sticking.
To serve, combine the cinnamon with the ½ cup of brown sugar and mix well. Sprinkle over the pancakes. Roll up the pancakes and serve garnished with the orange slices.