Savory Swedish Pancakes

On our trip to Baltimore several weeks ago, our gracious hostess opened our eyes to the simplicity of a recipe we once thought would be impossible to make at home: crepes. Oh, sorry, Swedish Pancakes! Her recipe made thin, sweet, slightly eggy pancakes that we filled with nuts, fruit, and jam. According to Wikipedia, the Swedish variation of pancakes are very similar to the French crepe, and are even served in a more savory situation (on Thursdays only?) alongside pea soup for lunch.

Based on our dedication and love for pancakes, we knew we had to make these again. I decided to switch things up a little and added these pancakes to our dinner line-up for the week. J took over (she's the pancake master) and produced a lovely meal of savory crepes Swedish pancakes.

Savory Swedish Pancakes: makes 8-9 (serves 3)

4 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs. melted butter
1 Tbs. ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp. salt



The original recipe was similar to the above, with the addition of 1/4 cup of sugar. If you're making the sweet, breakfast version, add this. J also threw in the flaxseed for a nuttier flavor (optional for the sweet version).

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth, and allow to "rest" in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour.



While waiting, prepare the ingredients for the filling. The possibilities here are endless; we went with a vegetable based filling. J chopped a cup of broccoli, a small onion, and a green bell pepper and sauteed them until soft with a sprinkle of salt, freshly ground pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.



Eventually, we tossed in a few handfuls of baby spinach and cooked until wilted. After removing from heat, we stirred in 2/3 cup of ricotta cheese and 2 Tbs. of whipped cream cheese to add in some protein and bring all the veggies together.

Pre-cheese.

When the batter is ready, the pancake production begins. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Carefully add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan and immediately swirl to allow batter to become a thin coat on the entire pan.



After a very short time, the pancake will begin to crisp around the edges and lift up, making it very easy to flip either with some quick finger action or a spatula. Another 30-45 seconds or so, and the pancake is done. Remove to a plate (optional to move to an oven at low temp to keep warm), and begin the next pancake. If you have a good non-stick pan, no additional cooking spray should be necessary. The inclusion of butter in the batter, in addition to adding a rich moistness to the finished product, also helps keep it from sticking.



Once J was well into the process, I started stuffing the finished crepes. I simply added about 1/3 cup of filling to the middle, and wrapped it up like an open-ended burrito.



Crisp yet pliable, the pancakes were perfect wrappers for our stuffing of choice. They aren't as doughy as traditional French crepes, but instead maintain a hint of egg in both texture and flavor. We could easily have added a tomato or cream based sauce to top them off, but we enjoyed savoring the flavors of both the buttery crepe and the sauteed vegetables without any additional components. Minus the (sort of random?) refrigeration time, the meal came together in a snap and would be an impressive meal to serve guests- at any time of day, morning or night.



We're no longer intimidated by this seemingly talent intensive dish, and we might just whip it up for our next weekend visitors.