Syniki with roast plum compote
Impossibly moreish light little pancakes made from whey cheese, known as “Syrniki” in Ukraine, Russia, Belarussia, Latvia, Lithuania , Slovenia and “Nalangate” in Romania and traditionally served with sour cream and jam. Olia Hercules in Mamushka goes for maple syrup with hers, me? I like an apricot or plum compote with mine.
It is worth being daring with just the smallest hint of flour for lighter fluffier pancakes result. And about that cheese….high quality full fat cheese with a high protein content will give you the best tasting pancakes with great mouth feel and texture.
I enjoy making the savoury version – with some chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill and spring onions) and with some grated parmesan added they become “ricotta gnocchi”. Try them as party nibbles or as a magnificent grounding for a poached egg smothered in hollandaise sauce or as I do, take them to the office as little protein-bomb snacks.
Ingredients – Sweet Syrniki
500g good quality ricotta (“Urda” in Romania, “Lor” in Turkey) or sweet cheese “branza dulce” in Romania.
2 eggs
1 heaped tablespoon of flour
1 heaped tablespoon of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
semolina for dusting
Ingredients – Savoury Syrniki
500g good quality ricotta (“Urda” in Romania, “Lor” in Turkey) or sweet cheese “branza dulce” in Romania.
2 eggs
1 heaped tablespoon of flour
Fresh herbs: a choice of chives or spring onions, dill, basil, mint, chervil, parsley
zest of half a lemon
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp nutmeg
semolina for dusting
How To
Mix ingredients together in a bowl with a fork.
The mixture should be fairly thick and sticky, like a lactic cookie dough!
Fry: Prepare a frying pan by lightly oiling. I fry on a medium high heat. Form the pancakes into “cookie patties” with your hands. Place in the frying pan and fry on each side for 6-8 minutes until golden.
Bake: Form into patties and place on a baking sheet with semolina on it. I sometimes use baking paper sometimes justa bit more semolina. Bake at 180C for 10 minutes on each side – turning them over after 10 minutes – until golden brown
Nutrition
Low in carbs and calories and high in protein these might be better named “power-pancakes”!
A serving of 3 small pancakes (approx 75g) contains 10g protein, a very small 3g carbs and 125kcals.