Pancakes that save forgotten vegetables

There are days when vegetables are still there, but no longer at their best. They have lost texture and reached an in-between stage that is hard to deal with. There is nothing wrong with them, they just no longer ask for the same place on the plate. Grating them and folding them into a pancake batter changes everything: the shape shifts, the whole comes together, and the vegetables make sense again.

These pancakes work as a main meal, a side dish, or even a savoury snack. They are made with eggs, use few ingredients, and adapt easily to whatever is in the fridge. They do not need exact measurements or perfect vegetables, and the more variety, the better the result. You will need…

• Seasonal grated vegetables
• Eggs
• Flour
• A little milk or plant-based drink
• Salt
• Pepper or dried herbs
• Olive oil for cooking

Place the grated vegetables in a large bowl. Add the eggs, a small amount of flour, and enough milk or plant-based drink to get a thick but pourable batter. Season with salt and, if desired, pepper or dried herbs. Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, spoon in small portions of the batter, and cook over medium heat until golden on one side. Flip and cook the other side until fully cooked through.

Serve plain, with a salad, sautéed vegetables, or a quick yoghurt sauce. They also work well cold the next day and keep nicely in the fridge.

In the end, these pancakes are not a trick or an emergency solution. They are simply a different way of looking at vegetables and bringing them into a complete meal, without drama or complication. When the recipe adapts to what is at home, cooking feels lighter and food waste goes down almost without noticing.