Beetroot and courgette pancakes

These were an experiment, but I quite liked how they turned out. This kind of basis is very versatile – I imagine these would be good as beetroot–carrot pancakes too, or with some ricotta stirred into the batter, or two eggs for a lighter texture… We had them with grilled sea bream, but in the absence of fish they would go well with sour cream.

some beets (I had four smallish ones, which was enough for 12 small pancakes)

a small courgette

buckwheat flour (or spelt, or any other kind)

an egg

garlic, minced

a fresh chilli, chopped

some fresh coriander, chopped (stalks included)

butter for frying

Peel and grate the raw beetroots and the courgette (the latter unpeeled). Combine in a bowl, then add enough flour to coat everything and soak up any juices, but not so much that there’s spare flour on the bottom of the bowl – about one small cup. Season with a small pinch of salt (beetroot is high in sodium, so it won’t need much) and stir in the garlic, chilli and coriander. Add enough water to form a thick batter (half a cup or so, but start slowly). Add the egg and check for consistency. My batter just held together enough to be transferred to the pan heaped on a tablespoon, but slightly runnier would work as well. The only thing to be careful about is that it’s fluid enough to make pancakes of even thickness, or they will be hard to cook evenly. Add scoops to the pan, flatten with a fork, and fry in browned butter, about ten minutes on each side.