Cheese and Leek Polenta Pancakes

In Brief

Prep Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serves : 6

Coming up with a dish for the launch of the stall was excruciatingly difficult, as I had a lot of boxes to tick for it to qualify.
It needed to be in season (obviously), it needed to be sourced locally, it would have to be cooked on a camping stove at an outdoor market with the distinct possibility of adverse weather conditions! Most importantly it needed to blow your taste buds off the richter scale! So what better ingredient to use than the Welsh Leek?

The leek is in abundance at the moment down at Blaencamel Farm. With its mild onion taste it marries up perfectly with a little bit of garlic, rosemary and cheese wrapped up in a delicious polenta based pancake. Ok, I’ve fancied it up a little bit by adding Caws Cenarth’s smoked cheese and a little of the Snowdonia Bomber cheese to really intensify the flavour, but that’s just a way to reel in the customers!

Shopping List

  • Pancake:
  • Fine Polenta: 100g
  • Plain flour: 90g
  • Free Range Eggs: x3
  • Milk: 450ml
  • Cayenne Pepper: Pinch
  • Tumeric: Pinch
  • Salt: Pinch
  • Olive Oil: Splash
  • Filling:
  • Leeks: 500g
  • Garlic: 3 cloves
  • Rosemary: Sprig or two
  • Butter: Knob
  • Cream: 80ml
  • White wine: 50ml
  • Smoked Cheese: 100g
  • Cheddar: 50g
  • :
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Cooking Instructions

Prepare the leeks by trimming off the dark green leaves as these can give a woody and chewy texture to the dish. Then make an insert lengthways but not all the way down to the roots asthat can make it fall apart. This will enable you to see if there is any grit or soil caught between the leaves as this needs careful washing out . Once cleaned, chop the leeks and place them in a preheated pan with the butter, a splash of oil and a pinch of salt to start drawing out the moisture. While the leeks are cooking,finely chop the garlic and add to the mixture. The mix should be releasing its juices and revealing a lot more space in your pan. Give the garlic a minute or two to do its job then add the wine, reduce and then the cream and allow to bubble away on a low heat for a minute or two to thicken up and help bind the mix. Remove from the heat

Grate the cheese and add to the mix, have a little taste to see if it needs more salt or smokiness from the Caws or strength from the Bomber, and then set aside.

Get yourself a nice big mixing bowl, a sieve and a whisk in preparation for making the batter. Sieve all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. When the eggs and milk are evenly mixed, whisk into the dry ingredients to make the batter.

Heat up a heavy based pan with a drizzle of oil and get making some pancakes. A minute or two on each side is sufficient to give a slight browning before taking the cooked pancake off the heat and filling it with the leek mix. Leave the pancakes in a warm oven till they are all made and can be served together.

At Riverside Market I try to make as many as I can to order, but when the going gets tough I do have “some I prepared earlier” to meet the demand. I’m serving the filled pancakes with a selection of seasonal salads but you could try it with almost anything. I always say if they’re growing at the same time of year as each other they’re meant to be paired on a plate, so try that ethos and see how you get on.

I am looking forward to bringing my way of cooking to the general public in a way that people can understand. Don’t be scared off from at least trying it! Please do send in your pictures of you cooking and/or eating your dish, telling me how you got on. Good luck!

I look forward to hearing some of your comments and responses. Deri

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