Crepes (Palachinke as my kids and all their friends call them)

 

 The idea of starting this blog came after I got a request for this recipe :)

 

Back in my homeland no one makes crepes by recipe. I remember my mother laughing at me for needing a recipe for crepes. However, when I started making them, I could never get right consistency of the batter which is the main part in being successful in your attempt to make good crepes. So I found this recipe in some Hungarian cook book that was translated in my native language. Over the years of experience you will be able to make crepes without recipe but for beginners it's always good to start with one. That way you will learn what consistency of the batter is needed to get every single crepe in one piece (not torn). You will need to invest in a non-stick frying pan with almost no sides (it's easier to turn crepes over).

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

250g white flour

3 eggs

500ml milk (I like half milk, half water)

50ml oil

pinch of salt

just a little bit of oil in the pan before you put first ladle of batter in. Afterward you do not need to add more oil into the pan (unless you screwed up somewhere and they start to stick to the pan)

 

For filling you can use anything you like. Here are some ideas:

 

Nutella (my kids' favourite)

Apricot jam (my favourite)

Any other jam

Plum jam, ground walnuts and sugar

Some like it with sugar only

Sugar and ground walnuts

Our summer favourite (pictured above): raspberries with sugar inside and dark chocolate on top

Cream cheese and ham...

 

Mix all ingredients with electric mixer. Put just a little bit of oil (about 1/2- 1tsp). If you put more, you'll end up with a very greasy first crepe :). Turn the heat to high and when oil is hot add 1 full ladle (or less, it depends how big is your ladle) of batter. While you are pouring batter into the pan at the same time move the pan around so that batter covers the bottom of the pan. Thinner you get it, it's better. Fry for few seconds and then turn and fry the second side for a short time. Do not over cook them, you will not be able to roll them later. When done, slide the crepe onto the plate. Continue repeating until you have the batter.

 

While you are in a process of making crepes, if you see that your stove reached very high temperature, turn the heat down to the middle or little bit higher. This making crepes on high heat is my thing, it's faster! My mother and some friends do it on a low heat, but hey who has the time. End product is the same!

 

How to turn over a crepe? Ha! When I was a teen, my friend and I decided to make crepes. Of course neither of us knew how to flip them. At that time I was living on 11th floor. So we decided, in order not to mess up my mother's kitchen floor, to hold the pan outside kitchen window. Yes, we were home alone. Hope no one got a crepe over their head ;)  I still don't know to flip them in the air but that's OK! Take a dinner knife, preferably with a round top. While you are frying the first side, when you see that it's done around the edge, lightly go under and around with the knife to detach crepe from the bottom of the pan. Move pan forward and backward so the whole crepe detaches from the bottom. Once it's detached, it's ready for flipping. Put the knife under the crepe as far as it goes (not the center but little bit on the side of the crepe) and turn fast. If you mess up, don't worry. It's just a question of practise. It will work at the end. Keep trying! It will be worth it.

 

 

 

Mama's Pumpkin Seeds

You are probably wondering why bother to bake your own pumpkin seeds when you can buy them in almost any store. Because these are much better!!!

 

Ingredients:

 

1 big "Halloween" pumpkin

salt

 

Cut the pumpkin open and scoop out the seeds together with fibers.

 

 

Now, remove fiber by hand. NEVER wash the seeds because it will remove pumpkin juice and traces of fiber from them and you will end up with the same pumpkin seeds you can buy at your local store. Put seeds on a baking sheet and spread them the best that you can.

 

 

Roast them on 375 F (180 C) for about 10 minutes. Take them out from the oven and mix/rearrange  with the spoon. Return to the oven and check after 5 minutes. They should look dry when you mix them. If they are still not dry, return to the oven and check after 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn them (it's easy to do that!). When all are dry, take them out from the oven and put salt over. Mix again so they get salted evenly. Leave them to cool down on a baking sheet. Then you can transfer them to a bowl but be sure not to close them tightly because they need a day or two to completely dry. Mix them from time to time. After 2 days (if they last that long, I usually eat them all before that), you can put them in a jar and storage them.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Avocado Salad Dressing

I've got this recipe from a relative and would never go back to store bought salad dressings. It's healthy, delicious and easy to make. Plus, it can be used as a spread over crackers.

 

Ingredients:

 

 

1 avocado (should be supple when pressed with finger)

1 clove garlic pressed

1 lemon

salt, black pepper

olive oil

 

Cut avocado and take pit out. Scoop the flesh into the bowl and immediately add lemon juice. Then add garlic, salt and black pepper, and mush with fork. Add olive oil as much as you like until you get the right consistency. This dressing shouldn't be liquid but you should be able to mix it with lettuce and at the same time spread on crackers. If you cover it tightly it can last a few days in the fridge.

 

P.S. You can mix all these ingredients in a blender. It's me who likes to use fork instead because it's a small quantity and you save time by not putting it into the blender, than taking it out, than washing the blender :)

 



 

Mushed Potatoes

Ingredients:

 

 

4-5 Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (red potatoes don't work for this, they are not starchy enough)

salt

1/4 cup of butter (or more)

milk

 

Peel, wash and cut potatoes into thick slices. Put in the pot with water and salt, and cook until soft (be careful not to overcook because you will end up with starchy water). When it's done, drain potatoes and return to the same pot. Add butter and start mushing adding milk little by little as you go. When you get consistency that you like stop adding milk and mush little bit longer to get smooth mushed potatoes. It's the best if you serve immediately.

 

P.S. You can always add more butter than milk or if you are afraid of butter add just a little butter and then add some oil instead. 

Mama's Hamburgers (Cufte)

When I told my son the other day that we have hamburgers for dinner, he looked at them and said: "These are not hamburgers but I love them."

 

Ingredients:

 

450g ground beef

1 cooking onion diced

1-2 garlic cloves minced

1 egg

1Tbsp bread crumbs

salt, ground black pepper

oil for frying

 

Mix all ingredients in a big bowl and knead by hand (yes, by hand). When everything is mixed, shape it as you like and fry in hot oil for as long as middle is truly cooked. Serve with whatever you like. I like it the best with mushed potatoes and lettuce.

 

 



Stuffed Vegetable Marrows and/or Peppers

 

Vegetable marrows are very similar to zucchinis, so if you can't find them at the market, look for big zucchinis.

 

Ingredients:

 

Number of vegetable marrows/peppers depends on how big is your pot in which you plan to cook it. I had 3 vegetable marrows and 3 peppers which made 9 "cups".

 1 medium onion

 1Tsp oil

 1lb (450g) ground beef/pork

 1/4 cup rice 

1 potato

 few tomatoes or 1 can (19oz/540g) diced tomatoes

 salt and black pepper to taste

 

Wash vegetables. Remove stems and bottoms of vegetable marrows being careful not to cut too deep because you need to end up with cups that will be filled in. Peel vegetable marrows and remove seeds from peppers.

 

 

With a teaspoon, preferably small grapefruit spoon, remove insides of vegetable marrows to get cups. Leave it aside.  

 

 

 

Dice onion and put it together with oil into the pot. Sauté diced onion until onion is translucent. Add salt, black pepper and ground meat. Brown the meat and when it's done, add rinsed out rice. Mix it together.  Now that filling is ready, take each "cup" and fill it almost to the top. Place them in the same pot you used for browning the meat. Close each "cup" with potato slice. Add tomatoes around cups and fill the pot with water. Now it's ready for cooking.

 

 

 

 Since filling is already cooked you don't need to worry about it. Cover the pot and when it starts boiling, turn the heat down. After 20-25 minutes check with fork if potato and "cups" are soft. If they are, cooking is finished.

 

 

Serve with plain yogurt if you like.

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy Snack

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

celery sticks

hummus (any kind you like)

cherry tomatoes

 

Clean celery sticks, fill them with hummus and put tomatoes on top. Easy, fast, healthy and mmm delicious.