Ditch Plains Green Pancakes

WHO: Laird Hamilton, author of Fuel Up, published by Assouline
INSTAGRAM: @LairdHamiltonSurf
LAIRD’S GUEST-WORTHY RECIPE: Ditch Plains Green Pancakes

WHY?
“My girls and I visit the Hamptons every year for a charity stand-up paddle event and to visit long-time friends in the area. The Ditch Plains pancakes are one of my favorite recipes in my new Assouline cookbook, and they’re obviously relevant to the Montauk area. They are an unusual, savory brunch plate, but are really light and loaded with iron-rich spinach. [Iron] helps make the hemoglobin in our red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout our bodies. It’s ideal for vegetarians and those who avoid gluten as well. The inclusion of a jalapeño pepper and the lemon juice bring a zingy and bright flavor to the start of the day.”

INGREDIENTS:

For the lemon butter
1/4 c raw butter, softened
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp minced parsley
Sea salt and black pepper

For the pancakes
5 oz spinach leaves, washed
2 Tbsp raw butter, melted
3 green onions, finely sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, trimmed, seeded, and minced
1/2 c gluten-free flour
3/4 Tbsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 c almond milk
Sea salt and black pepper
Olive oil, for the pan
Lemon wedges, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
For the lemon butter
Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl until blended. Place in the freezer to firm up while you prepare the pancakes.

For the pancakes
Preheat the oven to 200ºF.

Heat a little water in a small pan over medium heat.

Add the spinach leaves, cover, and cook for just one minute, until the spinach wilts. Place the spinach in a bowl to cool down. Drain the spinach and coarsely chop.

Combine the melted raw butter, green onions, jalapeño, and spinach in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, cumin, and almond milk. Season with salt and pepper. Give it a good whisk to combine.

Coat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. When the pan is hot, pour on several quarter-cup pancakes. Cook about three minutes, until air bubbles form on the surface, then flip them over and give the other sides a couple of minutes. Add a little more oil as the skillet dries out. You can stack the cooked pancakes on a plate and keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve.

To serve, place the desired quantity of pancakes on a plate with a teaspoon of lemon butter on top and a lemon wedge on the side.