If you are a religious person, today you are celebrating Shrove Tuesday! So Happy Shrove Tuesday!
Shrove Tuesday is observed by many Christians (Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and probably many other Christians). But I am not going to get into religious opinions now.
Do you like pancakes?
English people serve the pancakes with caster sugar and lemon juice.
The people I provide care to love pancakes.
That's not only because pancakes have a unique texture and are easy to chew, especially if you have issues with your teeth or dentures, but because they are both nutritious and delicious.
I usually prepare them for breakfast - fresh on the day.
Eggs, milk, flour mixed together. Takes 2 minutes.
Other 2 minutes to fry them.
I fill them with Nutella and top them with fresh fruits, usually fresh berries and bananas. Other 5 minutes.
And the look on their faces is priceless.
Even if it took me 1 hour, I would still prepare them.
In restaurants, sweatshops (cakeshops), bars etc., these are served with cream and chocolate topping mostly but also caramel sauce.
What kind of pancakes do you like?
Because, I am sure you know, there are loads of type of pancakes.
I am not an expert in pancakes, so don’t take this like a gastronomy lesson. However, I worked in many restaurants (in Italy) and in 10 years, I learned ‘some’ (many) things about food, customs and so on.
I always thought that is an incredible skill. Especially if one doesn't end up burning down the building.
I must be honest, I have never been a pancake fan. But sometimes I would make and filled them with a sweet cream of fresh (cow) cheese (sugar and lemon zest - sometimes poppyseed).
Have you ever heard of this?
Gluten intolerant people make banana pancakes (eggs and very ripped bananas).
What kind of pancakes do you like?
Because, I am sure you know, there are loads of type of pancakes.
I am not an expert in pancakes, so don’t take this like a gastronomy lesson. However, I worked in many restaurants (in Italy) and in 10 years, I learned ‘some’ (many) things about food, customs and so on.
- The famous French crêpes Suzette – the thin ones and I mean very thin, fine like a silk veil, almost translucent – with tangerine or orange juice, beurre (butter) Suzette, (caramelized sugar and butter sauce), and Grand Marnier (liqueur) on top.
Who didn't see these pancakes prepared in a tableside performance, flambé? Maybe in a movie?
I always thought that is an incredible skill. Especially if one doesn't end up burning down the building.
- Thin crepes are also very well-liked in Italy, mostly with Nutella filling and ice cream. Some regions love them more than others. As I lived in several regions for years, like Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria I know that pancakes are served in restaurants on a daily basis. But they are also enjoyed by tourists and locals alike on the streets – while sightseeing – and on the sandy beaches of sunny Italy – while sunbathing.
- In my country, Romania, thin and not so thin pancakes are part of our gastronomic culture.
During the communist period, we’ve cooked and baked everything at home. Both my parents and some of my 9 siblings loved pancakes, so we made them 2-3 times a week.
Generally, we filled these pancakes with various jams (apricots, quince, prunes, cherries, strawberries etc.).
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| These are actually salty. Fresh cheese, poppyseed, chives filling |
I ask because I've never met anyone who ate pancakes with sweet cheese.
The cheese was made fresh every day in my family.
If you didn't know, I was born and raised a farmer and although we didn't raise cows, we've had plenty of fresh milk and cheese.
It was never a ‘big event’ for my family, but after the fall of the communist regime, I’ve found out that not every family couldn't afford to make them that often. In fact, most families considered pancakes a delicacy.
I believe I wrote about this in 'Oranges at Christmas in a Communist Country.'
- Everybody knows that Americans love thick pancakes – which are nothing like the European ones. The base ingredients (eggs, milk, flour) are similar, but the texture, form and toppings are not. You
I have a recipe for vegan pancakes: very sparkling water or fizzy drinks and flour.
As I like experimenting with food, I have invented many pancake recipes.
Weird ones, yes, but extremely tasty.
And because I prefer salty to sweet food, many of the fillings are quite ... brave. That's why my first recipe blog is called: brave recipes = reteteindraznete
Some of the pictures are from Pixabay.
