Russian Season

These cheese pancakes are one of our family recipes – I loved them when I was a kid, and not just because they were quite a rare treat on our everyday menu – yes there were times when eggs and cheese were considered expensive products that couldn’t be wasted just like that.

While some magical childhood memories about certain foods die as you grow up and try those foods (my Grandmother, for example, cherished memories of beetroot leaves soup that she once had during the war, until she finally made it many years later and… the dream got ruined: the soup was not too edible), but I have to say these cheese pancakes taste just as good now as they did in my childhood. They look good, too – golden brown on the outside, fluffy and yellow on the inside. The eggs in the batter make them taste a little bit omelet-y. Well, I think there are some flavours that are just impossible to resist – the flavour of melted/fried cheese is one of them, to me.

But, obviously you will want a counterbalance to these pancakes - something green and fresh and preferably crunchy on the side. From the limited choice of fresh greens and vegetables that we have in this time of the year, celery looked like the perfect candidate. Green, fresh and crunchy. We added some chopped parsley leaves and tossed it all with some minced walnuts and garlic. The walnut-garlic-oil paste is close to what you could find inside Georgian eggplant rolls. I found out it could serve as a standalone dip for crackers/tortillas as well.

The salad came out so good that we thought we’d make it next time we have guests. As for the pancakes… isn’t it great we always have enough cheese and eggs to make them nowadays?

Cheese Pancakes

Ingredients
150g mild-flavoured cheese, grated coarsely
3 eggs
150ml wheat flour
150ml kefir (alternatively, sour yogurt/buttermilk)
1/3 tsp baking soda
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying

Serves 4

Combine grated cheese end eggs, add a pinch of salt, and stir well. Add kefir with baking soda, stir and gradually add flour. Stir through the batter well.
Oil a large skillet with vegetable oil, or use your favourite cooking spray. Cook the pancakes on a medium heat until golden on both sides.

Celery and walnut salad

Ingredients
4 celery stalks
75g walnuts
A sheaf of fresh parsley
Juice of ½ lemon
2 cloves of garlic
4-5 tbsp olive oil
Salt

Serves 4

Chop celery stalks and parsley leaves.
Mince walnuts and garlic. Combine walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add salt to taste and stir well.
Toss the celery and the parsley with the walnut paste.