Simple taste

During my stay in Poland I had a pleasure to visit Trafik in Gdynia. A new place on the culinary map of Tricity, definitely worth visiting on a regular basis for few reasons. First of all - the interior, minimalistic, modern yet so warm! I love retro, old and cozy, I usually avoid too modern places, still I was full of admiration for the decor. Secondly, food was prepared by the chef Michał Maj in an open kitchen. We took opportunity and tried out almost everything from a special daily lunch offer plus some of the dishes from the regular menu. I don't have to mention that everything was fresh and appetizing, because that should be self-understandable in every restaurant. What's more important, the balance of spices was perfect, the number of ingredients not overwhelming. The dishes were simple with some nice twists.
I won't shock anyone if I say that I went for my favourite vegetable - pumpkin - which is unfortunately not so popular in Poland and just seeing it in the menu made me happy. The taste of the pumpkin soup was very close to my Good Mood Pumpkin Soup, just missing bacon. Instead the soup was served with crunchy buttered pieces of wholegrain toast and grated cheese. Another yumminess that I tried out were pumpkin pancakes served with some sour cream and chives. I indecently ate two portions... I couldn't forget this taste so I had to make them at home. And here they are :) I made them two days in a row, eating them for dinner and supper :)

Pumpkin Pancakes

500g peeled & grated pumpkin*
3 large eggs
50ml olive oil**
160g all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sour cream (12% fat)
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to season

1. Combine the pumpkin with egg yolks, flour, sour cream, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a seperate bowl beat the egg whites until stiff. Delicately fold them into the pumpkin mixture.
3. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat. Scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1 tablespoon for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with light sour cream and chives. 

*again - I used my favourite butternut squash.
** another option: use 3-4 tablespoons melted butter