Delectably-Different Pancake Fillings

I suppose I should have posted this before Shrove Tuesday instead of after it, but I am of the opinion that pancakes should be eaten at any time of the year, and are even better when savory.
In the past I have filled mine with smoked salmon, spinach and boursan, or basil, olives, sundried tomatoes and feta. This year I decided to make a variation on a childhood favourite - baked beans, cheese and broccoli. Don't knock it until you have tried it, especially this "posh" home-made version with home-baked beans and compté cheese.
My sweet pancake this year was filled with strawberries and balsamic vinegar (and now you are all thinking I am mad...), which is one of those flavour combinations like chilli and chocolate, which sounds a little strange but works like heaven. The slight sweetness of the vinegar compliments the strawberries perfectly, and the acidic bitterness cuts through the sugar and lifts this dish to a whole new level.

So, without further ado, here are two recipes to keep you eating pancakes all year round!

Home-Baked Beans (From BBC good food)

In the original recipe for this it was served on baked potatoes. I'm sure it would also be fantastic on toast or with a cooked breakfast!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1/2 carrot, diced
• 1 short celery stick, diced
• 2 marmande tomatoes (or ordinary large ones if these are not available - I have only ever seen them in Waitrose)
• 1/2 400g can haricot beans, drained
• 1tsp paprika
• 1tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2tbsp chopped chives
• 2 x 30g compte cheese
• 1tbsp olive oil
• enough purple sprouting (my preference) or tenderstem broccoli for two.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the celery and carrot for 10 minutes untill softened. 
2. Meanwhile, cook your broccoli and cut into smallish pieces. 
3. Add the beans, tomatoes and paprika and cook gently for another 5 minutes. Here the original recipe says to add 50ml of water, but I found that with the tomatoes the mixture was wet enough already. 
4. Add the Worcestershire sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes, before stirring in the cut up broccoli and chives. Season and keep warm whilst you make your pancakes.
5. Scoop onto the middle of your pancakes and divide the cheese in piles between the two.
6. Enjoy!

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar (courtesy of Nigel Slater's "Real Fast Puddings")

Here I will quote exactly what my dear Nigel says, for nobody can put it better than he does.

"...It has a heavenly fragrance, deeply sweet and rich, and is my favourite way of all to eat strawberries... the vinegar is especially good for perking up strawberries that are not yet ripe...

...Remove the stalks and leaves, cut large berries in half and put them in a bowl. Add a little sugar, perhaps 2 tablespoons per 450g. Set aside for 25 minutes or so (an hour would be better), until the strawberries have released some of their juices to form a light syrup with the sugar. Add the balsamic vinegar. A tablespoon to each 450g"

• Spoon onto the pancakes making sure you do not waste any of the sweet-vinegary liquid (which when eaten on its own can taste a little sour, but soaked into a pancake as a sauce is delicious).
• Prepare to be amazed!

Happy Belated Pancake Day!

Yours,

The Anxious Foodie x