Tuesday, February 24, 2009

It's Shrove Tuesday--and National Pancake Day!


Tomorrow begins the Lenten season and, while we are not religious observers of this fasting period, I was raised in a city full of devout Roman Catholics and begin craving all things seafood (and meatless) starting in mid-February. There's just something about the tradition of it that brings homey comfort to my life during this cold, wintery part of the year.

As a Southern Baptist, Mr.W doesn't get it. But that's okay. After ten long years together (eleven, if you count the first year of dating) he's learned to just eat what I put in front of him. Well... more or less, anyway.

Of course you could go all Mardi Gras-style and enjoy a Cajun feast, but in my corner of the world we prefer pancakes the day before Ash Wednesday. Homesick Texan does a great job of explaining the history of a traditional pancake meal on Shrove Tuesday:

"Many centuries ago, fatty foods including dairy were forbidden during the 40 days of Lent. So in order to use up their supply of these ingredients, the Anglicans added flour and voila—a feast of pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday."
I'm not quite sure what kind of pancakes I'll be making tonight; all the recipes featured 'round the blogosphere have me drooling like mad. Need some ideas for yourself? Here are some links:

- Homesick Texan's Gingerbread Pancakes
- Baking and Book.com's Whole Wheat Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
- Love all things Jamie Oliver? Check today's post on pancakes, which includes a link to some of his recipes.
- Pink Bytes Pancake Recipe - simple is always delicious!
- Today's post over at Pancake Recipes features a simple blueberry pancake using biscuit mix. I was raised on Bisquick pancakes, so I'm lovin' the look of these!


And here are some pancake recipes--both sweet and savory--from here at Mrs.W's Kitchen:
- My recent Banana Pancake recipe
- Corncakes
- Oat Bran Pancakes
- Curried Sweet Potato Pancakes - somewhere between sweet and savory, these little wonders are yummy, yummy, yummy, though certainly more of a latke construction than a doughy flapjack.
- Who could forget my beloved Korean Pancake recipe? Always good, anytime.
- Leftover mashed taters from the weekend? Try these Mashed Potato Pancakes. Definitely savory and stick-to-your-ribs good.

6 comments:

Sara said...

Those pancakes look delicious! I want some :)

Amanda said...

Well thank you, Sara. I'll be happy to make some for you! :)

grace said...

if ever anything deserved a day in its honor, it's the ever-glorious pancake. i could eat my weight in them and go back for more. :)

Amanda said...

Amen to that, Grace!

Anonymous said...

We were on holiday for pancake day so missed out on pancakes. I'm sure we're allowed to catch up later so I'm going to check out your amazing collection of pancake recipes. The korean pancakes with the zuccini and spring onion look really tasty.

Amanda said...

Hi, Sophie! I think every day is a good day for pancakes!

I do particularly love korean pancakes. I make them frequently--both for nosh at home and to bring to potluck events. The spicy dipping sauce is quite spicy--exactly how we love things! :)

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