Green pancakes with lime butter

I guess these pancakes are so comforting they somehow take you back to your childhood, when the joy of textures and flavors is still pure and unadulterated. Brunch is the ideal meal for them, served with a salad of seasonal leaves and possibly also a slice of freshly grilled halloumi or a piece of smoked fish. Some lime butter will probably be left over. Keep it in the fridge and then smear it over a baked sweet potato.

Lime butter
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• grated zest of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp chile flakes

• 1/2 lb (about 8 cups) spinach, washed
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2/3 cup milk
• 6 medium green onions, finely sliced
• 2 fresh green chiles, thinly sliced
• 1 egg white
• olive oil for frying

To make the lime butter.
• Put the butter in a medium bowl and beat it with a wooden spoon until it turns soft and creamy. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Tip onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a sausage shape. Twist the ends of the wrap to seal the flavored butter. Chill until firm.
• Wilt the spinach in a pan with a splash of water. Drain in a sieve and, when cool, squeeze hard with your hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Roughly chop and put aside.
• Put the flour, baking powder, whole egg, melted butter, salt, cumin and milk in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the green onions, chiles and spinach and mix with a fork. Whisk the egg white to soft peaks and gently fold it into the batter.
• Pour a small amount of olive oil into a heavy frying pan and place on medium-high heat. For each pancake, ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and press down gently. You should get smallish pancakes, about 3 inches in diameter and 3/8 inch thick. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until you get a good golden-green color. Transfer to paper towels and keep warm. Continue making pancakes, adding oil to the pan as needed, until the batter is used up.
• To serve, pile up three warm pancakes per person and place a slice of flavored butter on top to melt.

Serves 3-4