Ricotta pancakes to reduce paper footprint

hi, I'm Bel and I'm addicted to online shopping

hi, I'm Bel and I'm a magazine-aholic

hi, I'm Bel and I'm a cookbook addict

...

hi. I'm Bel. I'm a lost cause.

I read today that the average adult buys 28 kilograms (56 lb) of clothes per year, and probably throws out the same amount. Also today, I cleaned out my wardrobes and came up with 3 HUGE bags of clothes to be thrown out, gifted to relatives, and donated to St Vinnies. The reason for the cleanout was my recent spending on sites such as asos.com, topshop.com and modcloth.com, and no more wardrobe space. I blame the strong Aussie dollar that makes the clothes overseas soooo gorgeously tempting. It's not my fault, right?

No one seems to have done a survey on the number of magazines and cookbooks bought and recycled per annum, but if they did, I would be in the upper percentile of conspicuous consumers. I MUST somehow get an e-reader to reduce my paper footprint on the planet and reduce the fire risk at my place. I currently do not have an e-reader, so it's not my fault, right?

This recipe for breakfast ricotta pancakes is courtesy of the 'mini cookbook collection' issued by taste.com.au recently. From Gary Mehigan's Comfort Food, the cookbook measures 13cmx13cm, so it is indeed mini. If only other cookbook makers would follow suit, it would make my paper collection a lot smaller.

Ricotta Pancakes

serves 4

Ingredients

250g self-raising flour

pinch of table salt

50g caster sugar

1 egg

300 ml milk

25g unsalted butter

75g firm ricotta, drained and crumbled

vegetable oil or butter, for cooking

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt together, then add the sugar. In another bowl, whisk the egg and milk together, then add to the flour mixture. Beat well with a whisk to remove any lumps.

2. Melt the butter in a frypan over low heat until it bubbles and becomes nut-brown. Whisk the brown butter into the batter then stir in the ricotta; don't worry if there are a few lumps.

3. Heat a heavy-based non-stick frypan over medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Place a small ladleful of the batter into the hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. When bubbles appear on the surface, gently turn the pancake over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer pancake to a plate and repeat with remaining batter. This should make about 8 pancakes.

4. Serve the pancakes with butter and maple syrup or honey.

Ingredients, including flour, milk, egg and ricotta cheese

Lovely light and fluffy pancakes.

But it does take time to make 8 pancakes, so you need to keep the cooked ones warm while you stand over the stove and pour and check and flip and cook, and pour and check and flip...

Umm, yeah.

Things go better with Bacon.