We’re deep into Green Chile harvest season in New Mexico and the roasters are cranking at every farm, grocery store parking lot, farmer’s market and street corner in the entire city! With unlimited access to this glorious bounty, I have been on a mission to use it in more of my favorite recipes. Enter the humble pancake — roasted green chile & piñon pancakes.
Let’s begin with a little background on this pancake recipe. This basic recipe is my “go-to” and produces tall, fluffy, tender pancakes without fail. I found this recipe in 2012 and pinned it to my Pinterest board. Then, I printed it out and kept it stashed with a stack of other well-loved, batter-encrusted recipe pages. I made this recipe for many years, pulling out those grimy sheets of paper each time, until one day, I could not find it. It was gone! I went to my Pinterest board, but as frequently happens on Pinterest, it had disappeared. The pin went to a 404 message and the blog was no longer in existence. WHAT???!!!
I then spent a good bit of time trying to piece it back together from memory. Mind you, it is nothing out of the ordinary. All the basic ingredients are there and there are probably millions of pancake recipes on the internet that are very similar, if not identical. What does standout, however, is that the original author took the time to describe, in detail, all the steps necessary, to ensure the perfect pancake. Those details are just as important as the recipe itself.
Read on…
Perfect Pancake Process Tips
1. Pre-heat
Use a good quality nonstick pan and let it heat up over medium heat for at least 4-5 minutes. Add a dash of neutral oil and give it a quick wipe around the pan with a clean paper towel. I have a pretty awesome All Clad griddle that sits over two burners. It’s fairly heavy and distributes the heat evenly across the surface making it ideal for this application, but your favorite non-stick pan(s) will work just as well.
2. Measure
I like a slightly larger pancake than what most recipes recommend, so I use my 1/3 cup measure to evenly dole out batter on my griddle. Also, I’ve learned to only cook three pancakes at a time. I can easily fit 6 pancakes on this griddle, but they’re easier to flip if I only lay out 3 at time.
3. Fork Mix
When mixing my batter, I don’t use anything more powerful than a fork, mixing only until everything is just blended. I should have a few tiny dry pockets of dry flour left after I’m done.
4. Rest
I let the batter sit for a good 10-minutes (or more) before I begin making the pancakes, so that the baking powder can begin to activate.
All of these tips play their part in ensuring a tall, fluffy pancake is the end result.
This recipe below is just my basic recipe with the addition of diced roasted green chiles and toasted piñons. To make a plain pancake, leave the chile and nuts out.
ROASTED GREEN CHILE & PINON PANCAKES
makes approximately 12 – 5″ pancakes
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Morton’s)
4 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
4 tablespoons butter (melted & cooled)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup toasted piñons (shelled)
1/4 cup – 1/3 cup diced roasted green chile (seeded and well drained)
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
In a separate bowl mix together milk, lightly beaten eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the milk mixture into the center. Using a fork, gently mix everything together just until blended.
To the batter, add the toasted piñons and the diced green chile. Again, using a fork, mix all ingredients together just until blended. Sit batter aside and let it rest for 10-minutes.
Heat large griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add a small amount of neutral oil such as canola to the pan and wipe with a paper towel to spread it around the surface.
Using a 1/3 measuring cup (or 1/4 cup measure for smaller pancakes), spoon batter onto pan/griddle and spread it around slightly to form a 5″ circle.
Let cook until the surface begins to show signs of bubbling. Check the bottom and when it is a deep golden brown, flip the pancake and let cook on the other side. Cook until the bottom is deep gold brown and the top of the pancake springs back when gently pressed.
Repeat for each pancake, being sure to add oil to the pan between each one.
Serve immediately with butter and syrup.
Leftover pancakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Place a piece of wax paper in between each pancake for easy removal.
Let me know if you try this recipe. We really enjoyed the addition of the green chile and piñon in these pancakes and it was surprisingly delicious with a pat of salty butter and a generous drizzle of good maple syrup on top!
Stock up on our rubs, sauces and jellies at AlbuKirkySeasonings.com and keep up with what we’re cooking on our Facebook and Instagram pages. See you next time!