sauerkraut, pecorino, and ricotta pancakes

When Nicole and I were busy catering, we often came home from our gigs late, hungry, and with little energy to cook. But we needed to eat something, so we dug through our fridge. Almost without fail, we had four things. We had pecorino and butter. We had tortillas (typically from La Palma in the Mission, one of my favorite places on Earth). And, since I was in the midst of a passionate affair with fermentation, we had sauerkraut. Occasionally, when we were living large, there was ricotta. So we got in the habit of blistering tortillas over the stove burner, rubbing a stick of butter on the surface, then packing in the acidic sauerkraut, salty pecorino, and rich ricotta. We’d fold the tortilla like a taco and eat over the sink. This delicious snack endured after our catering business gave way to the restaurant. The combination even inspired the first (and to this day, my favorite) pancake to grace State Bird’s menu. If you’re short on time, a tortilla is an awesome vehicle for these flavors, but the pancake batter delivers an incredibly airy, crumpet-like texture and even more complex flavor thanks to Nicole’s sourdough starter. Come to think of it, between the yeasts in the batter and bacteria in the kraut, this pancake is a living, breathing thing. That’s pretty rad. Makes about 25 small pancakes SPECIAL EQUIPMENT Digital kitchen scale

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Step 1

Line a sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth and set it over a medium bowl. Add the ricotta, fold over the edges of the cheesecloth, and let sit in the fridge at least 6 hours or up to overnight to drain.

Step 2

A day before you plan to serve the pancakes, whisk together the flour, kosher salt, and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Combine the water, sourdough starter, and egg in a separate bowl, whisk briefly, and then add to the flour mixture. Whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds. It should be fairly smooth but small lumps are okay. Cover and transfer to the fridge to proof overnight or up to 24 hours. When it’s ready, the batter should be elastic, tacky, and filled with air bubbles.

Step 3

The next day, add the sauerkraut and pecorino to the cold batter and stir well. Cover, let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour, and then stir briefly.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 200 F, set a wire rack over a baking sheet, and preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

Step 5

Once the skillet is hot, add 1 Tbsp of the clarified butter, swirl to coat the skillet, and let it smoke. In batches of six, add a heaping tablespoon of batter per pancake. Spoon a 1-tsp dollop of the ricotta onto the center of each pancake, and press the ricotta gently. Cook until bubbles form at the edges and the bottoms are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancakes (preferably toward the edge of the skillet, where it’s not as hot and the ricotta won’t get too dark) and cook until the other sides are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the pancakes to the prepared rack and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest, adding another 1 Tbsp butter between batches and letting it smoke before adding more batter.

Step 6

Arrange the pancakes on a platter or individual plates and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and caraway seeds over each. Serve right away with the sauerkraut powder on the side for dipping.