Cook What Your Mama Taught Ya!

Yesterday I made palacsinta for the first time since I arrived in Iide. I was in one of those moods. They didn't come out perfect, but I thought they were good enough for me.

I learned how to make them from my mom and she had learned from my great grandmother. My great grandmother was Hungarian and she had some really great dishes up her sleeves. The most memorable ones for me are Chicken and Dumplings and palacsinta.

Palacsinta is Hungary's version of the crepe. I think it's a tad sweeter than your normal crepe - and we fill them with jam (we prefer strawberry). They're always a family favorite - and we usually devour them the minute they're rolled.

I remember coming home after school (elementary/high school) and seeing this plate stacked with palacsinta that my mom had made earlier in the day - just waiting for us. The moment we saw them - one could sense a slight tension in the air, as my sisters and I hurried to eat as many as we could. Those were great days...

Now I was just making them for myself. I thought,

Wow, all of the palinscinta - just for me! Finally!

But much to my surprise - and I've heard and read this from a lot of cooks/chefs/bakers/moms - you're not really into eating the food after you went through all the trouble of making it. It's like the whole process exhausted your cravings. Strange...




Tips I Learned the Hard Way:

• An electric mixer is extremely handy - but unfortunately I didn't have one, so I really had to whip it good (by hand and with a spoon!) to get most of the flour lumps out. It took forever.
  
  
• A sifter would also be nice, but I don't have one of those either
  
  
• The PAN is key! You need a pan that's just the right size - and I think non-stick works well. My pan was a tad too small so my edges came out flaky in the beginning
  
  
• Chopsticks are a really great tool for flipping them over!
  
  
• The edges cook first - don't let them burn!
  
  
• A hair less than 1/4 a cup of batter is the perfect amount for a single crepe
  
  
  

It takes a lot of precision, time and love to make palacsinta. The batter can produce a lot of crepes, which translates to a lot of time standing over a burning stove, and occasionally burning yourself from trying to gracefully flip the thing over.

But I think all of the work you put into making them is worth it, especially when you see how excited your family gets when they know you're going to cook them.

I guess that's what I was missing from this scene. I had no one to share them with. When I was done, I had a plate of crepes. Of course I could eat them all, and feel satisfied, but I wasn't experiencing the other half of that joy. And since I called this my "Trial-Run in Japan - Take 1," I wasn't about to share them with my friends and co-workers.


The whole process was good though - meditative in a way, and I'd like to take a moment to thank my great grandmother and my mom for all of the times that they slaved away just so that we could happily stuff our faces!



I think the next time my mom makes them, I'll eat them a little slower...




Recipe for Palacsinta

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• beat with eggs until smooth
  
  
• 5 Eggs
  
• beat with sugar until smooth
  
  
• 2 cups Flour
  
• add 1 cup of flour - beat
  
  
• 4 cups Milk
• add milk - whisk until smooth
  
  
• 1/4 cup Crisco
• add the other cup of flour - whisk
  
  
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• add the 3 cups of milk - vanilla and melted Crisco

Directions

• Beat eggs + sugar. Add flour (only 1 cup). Beat together (no lumps!)
  
  
• Add 1 cup milk. Beat together, add remaining flour (1 cup)
  
  
• Add 3 cups milk
  
  
• 1 tsp vanilla, add, stir
  
  
• Place Crisco on hot pan (1/4 cup). Melt in pan, then add to mix
  
  
• Heat same pan to 325 degrees (Med., not too hot)
  
  
• Pour ¼ cup of mix in pan, pour in center, rotate pan around until evenly distributed
  
  
• Be sure that the sides don't burn, flip!
  
  
• Serve with any jam, peanut butter, fruits. Makes 20 - 25. Yum =)