Gary Rhodes' Goats' Cheese and Sweet Pepper PancakesAugust 12, 2003 The Spouse and I went up country on Sunday for a drive. My agenda was to visit some of the antiques shops. Being a bit of a magpie, I have a couple of treasures that I like to collect, one of them trinket boxes. One of the stores we visited had a nice little vitrine, a glass-lidded table with display area ideal for little items. I swear I could hear our cleaning lady say "Yes, yes!‚" as I pondered the possible purchase. My collection was scattered over various surfaces throughout the house, something of a pain to dust. Of course, I succumbed. Vitrine safely in the back of the car, we ventured on. In another shop we found a wonderful etching featuring the newspaper The Spouse manages. It didn't take long to loosen his wallet and liberate the moths. Around this stage I think he decided he had better rein me in, so we stopped for lunch in a little place called Greytown. We enjoyed an excellent quiche with a light creamy filling and a crisp filo pastry base. And then superb coffees. As we headed back to our car, we spied a pet shop attached to a vet's practice. Ever since our beloved cat died last month we have been pining for a feline friend. There were a couple of black and white cats in one compartment. I was checking out one of them when the clinic manager asked if we would consider TWO cats. In the next area there was a little white cat and a larger black one. 
No, I didn't want a white cat. Oh, well, OK, I would look at them. Yeah, I'd hold one. All right, I'd hold the other. I had to put down the bag with the etching and hold the little white one. She snuggled in and I was turning to jelly. The black cat, larger and perky, attached herself to The Spouse. The cunning little things did a fantastic PR job and soon we were back in our car with a carton of cats. We are cat-parents once more. The wee white one has lovely pink ears so I have renamed her Rosie. The Spouse has naming rights on the older black cat. She is a regal beast and he is struggling for a suitable name. I took Rosie down to the vet today for a bit of feeding advice. Mike the vet asked where I had got her. Greytown, I said. "Mmmm,‚" he said. "Did you
stop for a coffee?‚" Rosie and The Black Cat have well and truly adopted us. The first night they made themselves quite at home on the bed. And, like their predecessor they seem to like popping up at the dinner table. I read the other day many families have cats who are permitted to take a chair at the table for the family meal - but many people are reluctant to admit it in public. Having already owned up to that one with our last cat, I am pleased to hear we are not alone. They were both on hand to sniff the air when I brought today's recipe to the table. I had seen chef Gary Rhodes cook it on TV a couple of nights previously and it looked quite tasty, so here it is. As I didn't happen to have any mashed potato sitting around and the quantity was so small, I left it out with no apparent detriment to the finished dish. Rhodes served his pancakes with a fresh spinach soup. We had ours with a salad and a raspberry vinaigrette. Gary Rhodes' Goats' Cheese And Sweet Pepper Pancakes 1 egg Whisk the egg with the milk. Add the flour, mashed potato, finely chopped red pepper and spring onion. The parmesan and goats' cheese can now be folded in. Season. The mixture should spread slightly when spooned into the pan. To cook, simply heat a non-stick frying pan with a trickle of olive oil. Divide tablespoons of the mix around the pan and cook on a medium heat for a few minutes until golden brown. Flip over the pancakes and continue to fry, adding a small knob of butter, for a further minute or two. As cooked, the pancakes can be kept warm under a cloth while the process continues. They can be made in advance and warmed gently in the oven, brushing with butter before serving.
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