Pancakes Stuffed with Ratatouille Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 aubergine, cut into 1cm dice
• about 150ml olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1cm dice
• 1 yellow pepper, cut into 1cm dice
• 2 large or 4 small courgettes, cut into 1cm dice
• 8 large, vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned,
• deseeded and roughly chopped (see page 135)
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons chopped basil
• 70g unsalted butter, melted
• 250g Gruyère cheese, grated
• sea salt and black pepper
• FOR PANCAKE BATTER (MAKES 8–10)
• 100g plain fl our
• 2 medium eggs
• 300ml full-fat milk
• 20g unsalted butter, melted
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• sunflower oil for frying

Preparation:

• Sift the flour into a bowl.
• Make a well in the centre.
• Whisk in the eggs one at a time with a balloon whisk to give a thick, smooth paste.
• Now gradually whisk in the milk, followed by the melted butter.
• Mix in the salt and sugar and then leave the batter to rest for 20 minutes.
• Place a frying pan over a moderate heat. Put a little sunfl ower oil in a bowl and dip a wad of kitchen paper in it, then use it to grease the hot pan.
• Pour a small ladleful of batter into the middle of the pan, tilting it quickly so the batter covers the base. Use only enough batter to cover the base thinly.
• Turn the heat down a little and cook for a minute or so, until the pancake looks slightly set, the edges are a little frilly and the underside is pale golden.
• Flip the pancake over with a palette knife. The second side doesn’t take quite so long to cook; again it should be pale golden. Turn out of the pan.
• 1 Stack the pancakes up, interleaved with greaseproof paper. Repeat with the remaining batter, oiling the pan between pancakes as necessary.
• Put the diced aubergine in a colander, sprinkle lightly with salt and leave for at least 30 minutes to draw out the water.
• Meanwhile, drizzle some of the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, add the onions, garlic and peppers and fry gently until soft.
• Transfer the vegetables to a heavy based saucepan.
• Drizzle some more oil into the pan, add the courgettes and cook until softened and slightly coloured.
• Add to the onions and peppers, along with the tomatoes and thyme.
• Now add the remaining oil to the frying pan and place over a fairly high heat. Pat the aubergine dry on kitchen paper.
• Add it to the pan and fry until tender and golden. At first the aubergine will suck up all the oil, but eventually it will start to release the oil.
• Add to the other vegetables and season lightly. Put the pan over a low heat and cook, uncovered, until the tomatoes have released their juices.
• Stir in the tomato puree, sugar and basil and cook for 5 minutes longer, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Leave to cool – spreading the mixture out on a baking tray will help it cool quickly.
• Lay each pancake fl at on a work surface, put a couple of tablespoons of the ratatouille on it, at the end nearest you.
• Then fold in the sides and roll the pancake up, like a spring roll.
• Brush a gratin dish with a little of the melted butter and lay the pancakes neatly in it. Brush the tops with the remaining melted butter.
• Sprinkle with the Gruyère. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 25–30 minutes, until the pancakes are heated through.