Nutty Pancakes

This morning, a pre-weekly-shopping morning, one of my sons and one of my grandsons were present for breakfast. What to feed them? I had two eggs, no bacon, no bread for toast and one helping of dry cereal. Inventory of the pantry and fridge turned a scant cup of almond meal, a small bag of hazelnut meal, about a cupful of pumpkin seeds, a jar of raisins, about ¾ of a cup of sorghum flour, a little milk, and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. Oh, yes—in the back of the fridge was about half a cup of bacon grease left from a family gathering breakfast a week or so ago.

The obvious and only answer was pancakes. To put on them we had a little blackberry & pomegranate jam, plenty of butter, about a cupful of cottage cheese, and all the applesauce they and I could want. Steve produced a bag of mixed berries from the freezer, and the dregs of a container of yogurt. Both of my men proclaimed the breakfast terrific. Here’s the pancake recipe.

NUTTY PANCAKES
Makes about 16
¾ cup sorghum flour
½ cup hazelnut meal
½ cup almond meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs beaten with
1 ¼ cups milk
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Stir in the nut meals. Stir in the egg and milk combo. Stir in the oil. Let the batter rest half an hour if you can so the flour and meals can soak up the liquid. Add:
¼ to 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1 handful raisins

Stir. Start two skillets or a griddle heating. Grease them with bacon grease or a Tablespoonful of olive oil. For each pancake ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the hot pan or griddle. When the edges look cooked, and bubbles have formed and broken around their edges, flip each pancake. If it parts from the pan willingly, it’s ready to turn. When again it parts from the pan willingly it’s done. If you have any doubts, stick a toothpick into the highest part of one of the pancakes. If it comes out with bits of pancake or batter on it, you know the cakes need a few more seconds to finish cooking.

Top each pancake with a dollop of cottage cheese or yogurt. Top that with applesauce, jam, or fresh berries. Both of my boys proclaimed the breakfast terrific.