Shrove Tuesday

More commonly known as Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday"), this is the last day of Carnevale. Lent begins tomorrow. Tonight, while everyone else is out drinking beer, we're going to be eating pancakes.

Back in the day, Lent was a strictly vegan affair. The faithful had to rid their houses of all meat and dairy products before Ash Wednesday. And how else to better use up eggs, milk and butter than by whippin' up a big ol' batch of pancakes? My favorite bit of Shrove Tuesday lore is that in some European countries and most notably in England, housewives would hold pancake races on Shrove Tuesday, runnning a course through town, flipping hotcakes from skillets. I don't know how prominent an event it is still but I would love to revive it. I'd have to get The Neighbor to go along. Fun indeed, but it would, undoubtedly, convince our Orthodox neighbors once and for all that the goyim are completely meshuggina.

Oh, and the meaning of the word "shrove"? "To confess one's sins". One would traditionally make his or her pre-Lenten confession on this day. Then go home and eat pancakes. I just love being Catholic.

Dutch Babies

Beat 2 eggs.

Mix together: ½ c. flour
½ t. salt

Alternatively mix dry ingredients with egg and ½ c. milk

Beat until smooth.

Stir in 2 T. melted butter

Pour batter into skillet (which, if the same one used to melt the butter, will already be greased)

Back on bottom shelf of oven at 450 for 20 minutes.

Prick shell, reduce heat to 350 and bake another 10 minutes.

To serve:

Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Serve fresh fruit salad on the side and add spoonfuls of salad to pancake as desired.

(This recipe makes one pancake, which isn't near enough for our appetites so I'll be tripling the recipe. And serving sausages. Yum. Breakfast for dinner.)