Jewish opinions on any given subject are varied and there are always controversies and vehement disagreements, even over the most insignificant things. But one thing that we all have in common is our savta (grandmother) and how much we love her cooking. Except for those of us whose grandmothers are terrible cooks, or who do not have grandmothers. Spare a kind thought for them.
I am one of the lucky ones, having grown up with two 5-star Michelin savtas. I skyped with one the other day, Savta Chaya, and she gave me her blintz recipe. Except she pronounces it blintchikes. This is what she always makes for Shavuot/Shavuos, so I wanted to learn how to make it from her. Here is the recipe, for you to enjoy:
To make 15-20 blintchikes:
2 cups of flour
2 cups of water
4 eggs
3 tablespoons of oil
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
Mix the eggs and water well, then add the flour in slowly while you mix. Then add the oil and salt. Mix REALLY WELL so there are no lumps. If you still have lumps, segregate and remove them with your Sieve of Jewish Democracy until there are no lumps. The batter should be fairly fluid.
Grease a small frying pan. Don’t pour oil in it, these aren’t latkes, just grease it with an oily kitchen towel. Heat until it’s really hot and ladle in a small amount of batter, tilting the pan so you get a smooth layer. Count ten seconds, flip it over and count another ten seconds. Remove it from the pan and lay it out over a shallow upside-down bowl; this is so the blintchikes don’t stick together. Sticking together is for Bundists and refugees, not blintchikes.
The filling can be anything you like. Mushrooms and onions if you want savoury, cream cheese or mascarpone with vanilla extract, a little powdered sugar and a bit of grated lemon skin if you like it sweet. How to roll up the blintchikes once you’ve put in the filling was not something that Savta Chaya could explain over the phone, but it wasn’t hard to figure out.
I’m sure the vegans will be able to sort out vegan fillings and egg replacement.
Enjoy, and khag sameakh!
All these suggestions are great. I’d like to add one that makes it a lttile more savory (although my heart belongs to the original): I stuff the bletl (crepe) with left over mashed potatoes and sauteed onions. I sometimes add peas or other shredded vegetables with a smidgeon of the potato to hold it together. Procede as usual. The potato blintzes are a great side dish too.