Pancakes and other necessities

It's October!  That must mean Halloween, which must mean pumpkins, which must mean pumpkin pancakes.  I feel like lately I've been trying to play catch up with so many fruits and vegetables as their seasons draw to an end, but it will not do with pumpkins.  Pumpkin pancakes cannot be delayed.

The first time I ate a pumpkin pancake, it was something of a revelation to me.  It was a Sunday morning, about four years ago, in, of all places, my college dining hall.  I know, I know, that's not much of a recommendation, but hear me out.  I know it was a Sunday because it was a "Sterling Brunch" - a fancy, once-a-month affair that boasted all sorts of fancy breakfast items like quiches and tortes and lox for your bagels.  And, this one fateful morning, pumpkin pancakes.  I had never considered making pumpkin anything beyond the standard pumpkin pie, and I was intrigued.  They did not disappoint: mildly sweet and incredibly aromatic, I was hooked from my first maple syrup-drenched bite.

Once I discovered pumpkin pancakes, it was as if the floodgates had opened.  Suddenly, I made pumpkin everything: pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin baked with ziti and cheese.  (Some of those efforts, I may say, were more successful than others.)  Within a few months, the P section of my recipe card box was full to overflowing with pumpkin recipes, nearly squeezing out underutilized letters J or D all together.  By the time spring came around and I had access to more varied vegetables than just canned pumpkin and frozen broccoli, I think I must have been quite ready to move on.

Not for long, though.  I keep coming back to them.  With just a little spice and a luscious fresh squash flavor, these pancake makes for one of my all-time favorite breakfast foods.  Luckily, now that I don't depend on the dining halls to make my breakfasts, I don't have to wait for special once-a-month brunches.  In October, once-every-three-days feels much more appropriate - especially when there's plenty of fresh apple cider on hand.

Happy autumn!

Pumpkin pancakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 eggs
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 cup plain canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups milk
chocolate chips (optional)

In a medium bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add in the oil, then the pumpkin and milk.  Mix in the dry ingredients, stirring just to combine.

Heat a griddle to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or heat a non-stick frying pan until water drops flicked on its surface dance and take about two seconds to evaporate.  Using a 1/3-cup measure, pour out circles of batter to create your pancakes.  Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, until the edges look dry and the top surface is pock-marked with indentations.  Flip the pancakes, and let them continue to cook another 1-2 minutes, until firm when depressed with the spatula.

If you want to include chocolate chips, you can mix them into the batter, or, if you only want chocolate chips in some of the pancakes, you can do what I do:  when cooking a chocolate chip pancake, spread a thin layer of batter on the griddle, sprinkle with chocolate chips, and top with another thin layer of batter.  These pancakes tend to be on the thick side, and consequently take a little longer to cook.  On the plus side, though, there's no melted chocolate mess to clean up on your griddle!

Serve immediately with warm maple syrup, and fresh cider to drink, if you've got it!

Serves 3-4