Misunderstandings are like thunderstorms that move across our lives, leaving little trace of the chaos they caused once they’ve disappeared. Unless they linger, but luckily most don’t. My reaction to chaos is to do something grounding, to find a simple task that results in something solid and good to counter the havoc.
Making pancakes certainly fits the bill. It’s one of the things I remember learning to make when I was very young, just after toast and pan-fried eggs. I also remember making pancakes for my parents for special occasion breakfasts in bed, along with the aforementioned toast and eggs and cups of instant coffee.
Pancake-making didn’t follow me into adulthood, except for occasionally on camping trips or weekends away with friends. I’m not sure why, because they’re almost impossible to get wrong and there are so many different combinations of batter and toppings that it’s hard to get bored with them. (They also convert beautifully to gluten-free.) I think I’ve made more pancakes since I started French Fridays than I have in the previous decade. All Dorie’s pancake recipes have been keepers, including this week’s Swiss chard version.
These are really Dorie’s take on farçous, a specialty of southwestern France, and her recipe can be found here. The herbs in my garden aren’t ready for harvesting yet, so I substituted dried marjoram and cilantro for the fresh chives and parsley. Those flavours went well with the Middle Eastern-ish lamb burgers I served with the farçous. (I’m still using up the quick preserved lemons I made for the cod and spinach roulades.) I also used a gluten-free all purpose flour mix. I think my pancakes were a little bigger than they should have been, as I only got 25 from a recipe that makes 40, but I liked them at that size.
Making the pancakes yesterday was a welcome distraction in the midst of a small crisis and then, when the crisis disappeared with the misunderstanding that had caused it, I was left with the better part of dinner already made.
You can find many other blogged descriptions of this week’s FFWD recipe here: Swiss Chard Pancakes
One Wet Foot 
Yes, preparing a meal certainly can be anchoring when the surrounding Universe feels rather turbulent.
Hope your weekend is peaceful.
Thanks, Cher. Things calmed down considerably. 🙂
Glad that your crisis resolved and you were left with what sounds like a delicious meal. Thanks for sharing your insightful perspective with us, as always. Happy to be back!
Thanks so much! Looking forward to reading more of your posts.
Lovely looking pancakes! I really need to try these with the chard. 🙂
Thanks!
There seems to be turbulence in the air… your another Dorista that I’ve read who had a hard week. I’ve just had a cold that won’t go away… no biggy but annoying and tiring. Your pancakes are lovely so golden. Glad you enjoyed them too.
These things just seem to pile up sometimes – happy that things seem to be pretty peaceful for the Dorista now.
These would be fabulous with lamb!
It was a really good combination.
I feel I might need to make these tomorrow – but with either spinach or kale. Wish me luck! Things have been weird for me lately so hopefully these will be a calming distraction. Your little stack of pancakes looks delicious!
Thanks! I think these would work just as well with either of those (or just about any) greens.
I found these to be so wonderfully delicious! Cooking is always a distraction for me, too. Your pancakes look beautiful…so glad you enjoyed them. Your lamb burgers sound like a perfect accompaniment.
Thanks, Kathy! I loved the lamb burgers with these. So nice to have ground lamb on hand occasionally.
So today I had a crisis and I too found myself in the kitchen making these pancakes for a make up post sometime. It really was comforting! I’m freezing most of mine so I can be comforted by proxy tomorrow and the next day. Maybe the next too ’cause it made a lot. Great photos my dear!
Thanks, Trevor! I’m glad someone’s with me on the pancake-making for comfort wagon. (Eating them was pretty comforting, too.)
Misunderstandings, confrontations, upsetting situations —- dislike them all. Don’t you think that the lightening speed of communication, the outside disasters, sometimes influence our personal equilibriums to the point where our tiny issues become more than they should be. If turning to the kitchen counter with a recipe to make seems to calm your inner spirit, that’s wonderful. I often don’t go in the kitchen when I’m upset because I mangle whatever I’m making. It takes a walk or hike to calm me down. Your cakes look delicious and I agree, Dorie’s pancakes have always been keepers.
Fast-paced communications are a blessing and a curse. A walk or hike works for me, too, but sometimes making something is the best therapy for me (since I’m no artist, by any stretch of the imagination).
Nothing like a stack of pancakes, even green ones-with swiss chard! They look beautiful in your photos-love the light;-) Isn’t it wonderful to have a place to go and feel constructive and most definitely grounded…have a wonderful week 😉
Thanks, Patty! Sometimes it pays off to actually set up my tripod. I need to do that more often. I hope your week was wonderful, too!
In the midst of turbulence, I always find cooking grounding. I’m glad there was a satisfying result as well. Nice job!
Thanks, Betsy!
Teresa, what a wonderful stack of Swiss chard pancakes and I do like the substitutions that you made, it sounds like they went really well with your lamb burgers! That dinner plate is very pretty too – love the colors!
Have a lovely Monday!
Thanks so much, Andrea. I have a few plates and bowls I don’t use often enough. That’s one of them.
Pancakes count high on my list of comfort food and I’m happy to hear that making these pancakes brought comfort to you.
Thanks, Rose.
I’m glad your crisis is resolved. Cooking is one of the few things that I find calming at times like that. I’m glad you enjoyed these – I think I definitely would have liked these better as an accompaniment to burgers!
The flavours and textures worked out quite well. I’d bet a lot of us in the group find cooking comforting (and challenging).