This banana pancake recipe is a great way to make the most of those ripe bananas that might otherwise end up in the rubbish. Banana pancakes, aside from being great – with this recipe, we’re avoiding food waste – they taste great and can be whipped up in no time.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 50g of flour
• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil (or sunflower oil if you prefer to avoid the characteristic taste of olive oil)
• Cinnamon (optional)
  
  
  

Preparation:

1: Reducing Food Waste

Let’s start by making a small effort to reduce food waste. Those ripe bananas that don’t look as appealing are perfect for this recipe. So, peel the bananas and place them in a bowl.

Mash the bananas with a fork until you have a smooth purée. This will add a natural touch of sweetness to our pancakes.

2: Creating the Pancake Mix

Add the eggs to the mashed bananas in the bowl and mix them well. This mixture will provide the necessary structure for our pancakes.

Next, incorporate the flour into the mixture. If you like, you can add a bit of cinnamon for an extra flavour kick. Stir until you have a smooth and uniform batter.

3: Cooking the Pancakes

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add a teaspoon of olive oil or sunflower oil. Make sure to evenly distribute the oil in the pan to prevent the pancakes from sticking.

Once the pan is hot, pour approximately 2 tablespoons of the batter into the pan in a circular shape. Cook each side of the pancakes until they are golden brown and can be easily flipped. This usually takes about 2–3 minutes per side.

Options for Serving:

Banana pancakes serve as a perfect base for adding your favourite toppings! Here are some suggestions that you can find on CrowdFarming to accompany them:

• Honey: Drizzle a bit of honey on top for an extra sweet touch.
• Slices of banana or other fresh fruit: Add freshness and colour to your plate with some slices of seasonal fruit. For example, pomegranate, mango, or grapes are some fruits that are available now!
• Nuts: Chopped almonds or walnuts will provide texture and a crunchy element.
  
  
  

Enjoy your banana pancakes, and feel good about reducing food waste and supporting sustainability with each delicious bite!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 clementines
• 100g dark chocolate
• Your choice of topping: pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, fleur de sel, etc. 
  
  

Steps:

1. Peel and quarter the clementines. 
2. If you have chosen to use dried fruit for this recipe, chop finely. 
3. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. 
4. Once the chocolate has melted, cover each clementine half-quarter with the melted chocolate and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Without waiting, sprinkle with the topping of your choice. Here I’ve used chopped pistachios and hazelnuts, as well as fleur de sel. 
5. Leave to rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, then serve immediately (otherwise the fruit will dry out).
   
   
   

Preserving these local varieties is necessary not only to maintain biological diversity, but also to protect the resistance and resilience of our farming systems to disease, pests and climate change. What’s more, each variety has a unique taste profile, which is reflected in the rich gastronomy of our producers’ pasta.

In this festive context, we are also preparing for Halloween, another holiday which, although largely associated with the United States, has deep roots on the European continent. Countries like Germany proudly display their pumpkins in colourful fairs, while in Italy pumpkins adorn pasta dishes and risottos, merging two celebrations into one. To commemorate these two events, our pumpkin producers Sönke and Pierre have teamed up with our pasta producers to create a recipe that combines traditional Italian pasta with the creaminess of pumpkin, enhanced by the umami touch of soy sauce and the sweet contrast of honey.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1/2 organic butternut squash (700g) 
• 2 onions 
• 2 tbsp mascarpone
• 50g Parmesan cheese 
• 300g spaghetti 
• 2 tbsp honey 
• 1 tbsp soy sauce 
• A few sprigs of parsley
• olive oil 
  
  

Steps:

1. Wash the squash thoroughly (we’ll be using the skin in this recipe, as the squash is organic), then cut into large cubes. If you are using half of the squash with seeds, wash them out with clean water and set aside (see recipe tip). 
2. Peel and finely chop the onions. 
3. Grate the Parmesan and set aside. 
4. In a stewpot (or pressure cooker) over high heat, add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add one of the chopped onions and the squash cubes. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water to the level of the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and cover. If you’re using a Dutch oven, cook for 20 minutes (or 10 minutes in a pressure cooker) until the squash is tender.
5. While the squash is cooking, add a generous drizzle of olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining onion and fry for 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and honey and fry for a further 5 minutes, until the onion is caramelised. Set aside. 
6. Once the squash is cooked, remove two ladles of the stock from the pan and set aside. 
7. Add the mascarpone and 2/3 of the Parmesan to the stockpot. Blend until you obtain the texture of a creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little stock. 
8. Cook the pasta as indicated on the packet. 
9. Arrange the butternut cream sauce, a portion of pasta, grated Parmesan, a little caramelised onion and a few parsley leaves on the plates. 
   
   

Tip: don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds, they’re perfect for an aperitif. To do this, preheat your oven to 160°C. In a bowl, add the pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of olive oil and the spices of your choice. Place in the oven for around ten minutes, then enjoy!

Today, we bring you three recipes to make the most of our mangoes that are already ripe for harvesting, so you can enjoy them at any time of the day while they are in season, through flavours that take us back to the origins of this fruit. The mango, originally from South Asia, began to be cultivated on a large scale in a small strip of the southern European coastline in the late 20th century. This is where our Tropiterranean mangoes come from – mangoes cultivated in Southern Europe, in lands bathed by the Mediterranean —, which should be distinguished from mangoes imported from more distant territories.

Before we begin, you just have to decide which variety of mango you will use for each of these recipes! As we saw in a recent post, European mangoes offer a wide range of varieties – up to more than 10. The most adopted variety in CrowdFarming is Osteen (200 – 400 grams) or Keitt (400 – 700 grams), both delicious. For these recipes, we used these varieties from Refijo farm (approximately 450 grams each mango), cultivated by our producer, Paco Marin.

Mango Lassi (or Mango Smoothie)

Ingredients (for 2 glasses)

• 1 mango
• 1 yogurt
• 3 empty yogurt containers of milk (add more milk for a smoother texture)
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• Optional: One cardamom seed
  
  

1. Peel and cut the mango into large pieces.
2. In a blender, add the mango pieces and the rest of the ingredients.
3. Optionally, if you want a more authentic-style smoothie – a mango lassi, add the cardamom when blending.
4. Blend until smooth and creamy.
5. Serve chilled.
   
   

Mango Curry

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 2 mangos
• 2 medium onions
• 2 long green peppers
• 4 cloves of garlic
• A small piece of ginger
• 1 jar of precooked chickpeas (400 g)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon of curry
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala
• Some cumin seeds
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
  
  

To serve

• 240 g of white rice
• Coriander leaves
  
  

1. Peel the onions, garlic cloves, and ginger. Finely chop the onions, ginger, and green peppers, then set aside.
2. Peel and cut the mangos into large pieces.
3. In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, add a generous drizzle of olive oil. 
4. Add the onions, green peppers, ginger, and whole garlic cloves and cook for a few minutes.
5. Add the spices to the mixture, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.
6. Add the mango pieces and cook for 5 minutes until you have a jam-like texture. Then, add the coconut milk and the drained chickpeas. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Serve with rice and some coriander leaves.
   
   

Mango Carpaccio

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 2 mangos
• 1 yellow lemon
• 1 red onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 teaspoon of sumac
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
  
  

1. Peel and finely cut the mangos, the onion, and the cucumber, then finely cut the tomato.
2. In a bowl, add the mangos, sumac, lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. On a plate, arrange the mangos and then the rest of the ingredients.
4. Finish assembling the dish by adding a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, salt, and pepper.