Home & Garden: Purely Pancakes

by Georgeanne Davis

Call them crepes, latkes, blintzes or just plain pancakes. All are appropriate fare on Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday and more familiarly known as Mardi Gras, which occurred earlier this week. Mardi Gras, literally “Fat Tuesday,” is known for its hedonistic celebrations and elaborate parades, especially in New Orleans in the U.S. and Rio’s Carnival. Mardi Gras is in fact the final day of lush living for Catholics before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, at midnight on Shrove Tuesday, the Lenten fast of 40 days begins.

Why pancakes? Starting back in medieval times, pancakes were a way to use up milk, fats and eggs, which were forbidden during the fasting period. Today’s pancakes can be topped with a melting lake of butter or cloud of whipped cream, but they can also be primarily made up of vegetables – perfectly in keeping with leaner Lenten fare. One of our family’s favorite all-time pancake recipes contains no fat. Cottage cheese pancakes, originally from the “Tassajara Bread Book,” the kitchen bible of the back-to-the-land movement in the 1970s, are still unbeatable for any meal of the day.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes à la Tassajara 

6 eggs

6 Tbsp. flour

1⁄4 tsp. salt

2 cups cottage cheese (nonfat, low-fat or full-fat)

Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff and set aside. Mix yolks with flour, salt, and cottage cheese, then gently fold the egg whites into this mixture. Fry like regular pancakes on a lightly greased skillet. Serve topped with applesauce, jam, or just enjoy plain with a swipe of butter.

Potato pancakes, or latkes, make a perfect last-minute supper or brunch fare. Starchier potatoes are usually preferred for latkes, but we like to use Yukon Golds or our own Nicolas. Sweet potatoes work well, too.

Potato Latkes

1 pound potatoes

1⁄2 cup finely chopped onion

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1⁄2 tsp. salt

1⁄2 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 250°. Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring them to a large bowl of cold water as you grate them. Soak potatoes for a few minutes after the last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander. Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel, gather it up and twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Ladle two tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into three-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn latkes over and cook about 5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven. Latkes can be made ahead and reheated on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 350° oven for about 5 minutes. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

Another savory pancake is Asian in origin, found in Japan, Korea and China. Hold the syrup and use the accompanying dipping sauce for these.

Asian-Style Pancakes

2 cups flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more as needed 

5 scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths and sliced lengthwise

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

1 small yellow or green squash, grated

Dipping sauce:

1 tablespoon rice or white vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

In a medium bowl, mix flour, eggs and oil with 1-1⁄2 cups water until a smooth batter is formed. Stir in scallions, carrots and squash. Place an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat, then coat bottom with oil. Ladle in about a quarter of the batter and spread it out evenly into a circle. Turn heat to medium and cook until bottom is browned, about three minutes, then flip and cook for another two minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Drain pancakes on paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Cut pancakes into small triangles and serve with dipping sauce.