Margo's Feast

I love pancakes, crepes, thick buttery Bulgarian katmi, but making them always turns into a nervous nightmare. I can’t even be around in the kitchen when somebody else is flipping the batter. I have fought this curious malady, but so far with no success, and so I was happy to surrender to my husband’s willingness to take over this part of our diet. Over the years we spent in Poland with no commercial pancake mixes he developed a recipe that makes great fluffy cakes, which we devour at least twice a month. Some of our American friends were shocked to find out that pancakes could be made without any help from Aunt Jemima. Even now in the States he uses this simple recipe much to my delight.

The greatness of pancakes is that they are the base for so many yummy condiments. I usually eat them savory with feta or goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, baby green salad, but the rest of my family is more orthodox and goes for good quality jam or maple syrup. Even if you are a pancake mix devotee, try this courtesy of my other half and you’ll see how easy it’s to make them by yourself. Our kids love to help during the process, something we are happy to oblige.

Here’s his recipe:

Buttermilk pancakes (serves four)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups unbleached flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 3 eggs

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the salt and sugar, then the eggs and buttermilk. Mix lightly until large lumps disappear, but don’t overmix if you’re not a fan of flat, rubbery cakes. The batter should be of a thick but flowing consistency – add a bit of water if it becomes too thick. Fry over a medium flame until golden on both sides. Serve with maple syrup, or whatever you have at hand – I’ve seen good use made of all kinds of jams and preserves, but also of goat cheese and pickled onions, not to mention a variety of cured meats.

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Winter is the only season when I crave soups. And sweet-sour-spicy Asian soups are my favorite. Their tempting aroma and slowly building heat are warming to all the senses.

Before I went down with the flu I tried to fight its lurking shadow with a Thai inspired soup loaded with ginger, garlic and chili. It obviously didn’t do the job, as I’m writing this from my sick bed, but it postponed it enough for me to go out to see a movie. It’s actually a mix of Thai Tom Khaa Kai and Vietnamese Pho recipes with a Japanese guest appearance – udon noodles.

The base is coconut milk, chicken broth, fresh ginger, fish sauce and chili. The rest of the ingredients could vary. I added garlic this time for extra flu resistance and mushrooms, as I was out of shrimp and somebody devoured the leftover roast chicken breast. The noodles are not necessary, but we all love the thick, slippery udon and the way you can slurp them in good conscience.

The soup makes a light lunch or supper. If serving the soup to kids skip the fresh chili and let everybody add chili-garlic sauce individually. Don’t be afraid of the long list of ingredients – the soup itself is ready in few minutes.

Coconut milk and ginger soup

enough for six

• 2 X 13.5 oz (400 ml) can coconut milk
• 4 cups (1 l) homemade chicken stock, or the best store bought you can afford
• 2 inch ( 4 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped into match sticks
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thinly
• 4 Asian shallots, peeled and crushed (or small onion, quartered)
• 1 lemon grass, though outer parts discarded, cut in to 4 inch (10 cm) pieces, smashed
• 2-3 red chili, cut in half, seeded and finely sliced (optional if cooking for kids)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 ½ tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 4-5 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 X 13.5 oz can straw mushroom

or

• 10 oz (300 gr) button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced not very thin,

or

• ½ pound ( 250 gr) big cleaned and shelled shrimp (I use frozen),

or

• 14 oz (400 g) chicken breasts, cut into slices
• 1 handful cherry tomatoes (optional, but adds nice color)
• ½ pound noodles (optional) – whatever you have at home

For garnishing

• 3 spring onions, sliced
• handful fresh cilantro (coriander), roughly chopped
• handful fresh mint, roughly chopped

Heat a deep sauce pan or wok on medium high, add the first six ingredients and bring to a boil. Don’t worry if the milk splits – it’s normal. If using chicken, add it now together with the fish sauce and sugar and simmer for 5 minutes until cooked through. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 2-3 minutes – the shrimps cook really fast and the tomatoes shouldn’t lose their shape. Check for seasoning and adjust. The soup shouldn’t be too spicy, but rather a balance of sweet, sour and spicy. Add the spring onions and herbs. Serve over cooked noodles (if using) with extra lime slices, fish sauce and chili-garlic sauce to perk it up. Recommended even if you are not about to drop sick any time soon.

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For the last few days I’ve been sleep-deprived, surrounded by flu sufferers and deep into macroeconomic issues. Food at home was last Saturday’s chicken, hot dogs, toasted bagels with what ever you could find in the fridge, and vanilla meringues from Trader Joe’s for the kids when I wasn’t watching. The only culinary highlight of the week were pączki – Polish-style donuts for Fat Thursday, which was yesterday. I have no idea why Poles celebrate Fat Thursday and not Tuesday like much of the rest of the world, but there’s no use questioning it. Anyway, the tradition is to eat as many as you can handle before Lent. We observe this tradition diligently, though none of us has any idea when Lent actually starts.

I must be in a really bad shape, as I actually ate two and didn’t squint – I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and donuts are not my type of sugar fix in any case. But these were good, stuffed with plum or rose jam and not too greasy – fresh and yummy. Never in my worst nightmares would I dream of making them myself – too complicated for something that the next door Polish bakery makes much better. For those in Chicago and willing to forget their sugar and fat intake limits for a while, the address is Delightful Pastries, 5927 W. Lawrence – near Austin Ave.

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