Light pumpkin pancakes

Serve with grilled bacon, sliced fruit and maple syrup. Prepare ahead and keep warm on a baking tray in a 100C oven for up to one hour. The flavours are a nod to Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

Dry ingredients

400 g	Pumpkin, with skin and seeds (Main)
1 ½ cups	Plain flour
2 Tbsp	Sugar
1 ½ tsp	Baking powder
1 ½ tsp	Ground cinnamon
¾ tsp	Baking soda
1/8 tsp	Salt
1/8 tsp	Ground nutmeg
1 tsp	Ground ginger

Wet ingredients

1 ½ cups	Buttermilk
2	Eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp	Vanilla essence
3 Tbsp	Table spread, melted, plus extra for cooking

Directions

1. Peel and seed the pumpkin. Cut into 5cm pieces. Steam or microwave until very tender. Cool. Using a hand-held blender, purée the flesh, until smooth. Measure out ¾ cup of purée.
2. Place the dry ingredients (excluding the pumpkin) in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Combine the purée with the wet ingredients. Mix well then fold into the dry ingredients until just moistened.
4. Heat a large non-stick frying pan and add a little table spread to moisten. Take heaped ¼ cups of the mixture and add to the pan leaving enough space for spreading. Cook until bubbles appear on top then flip. Keep the cooked pancakes warm on an oven tray in a 100C oven. Alternatively, cook the pancakes on a barbecue flat plate.
5. Serve 2 pancakes per person piled with sliced fruit (eg strawberries and poached pears) and grilled or microwaved bacon.

More lazy lunches from Jan

• Tomato, basil and mozzarella quiche
• Teriyaki salmon