Shrove Tuesday – aka Mardi Gras

It’s that time of year again: time for people to give up (again) the things they swore to give up on New Year’s Day, but let themselves off the hook by mid January.

It is to be the end of the gluttony we indulged ourselves in since the end of the previous Lenten Season. For those living under rocks, the pagans, and those who fell asleep during Sister Veronica’s ‘liturgical calendar’ class in school:  Shrove Tuesday

For those more interested in the secular aspects of the day, this may be more to your liking: Pancake Day

It is not all about eating those things we (in the UK) call pancakes, but more closely resemble the thin (25 mm), rolled up things - the ‘posh’ folk call them ‘crepes’  - than the thick (80 mm) stodgy doorsteps the Yanks make.

It has been a tradition for hundreds of years, in the small English village of Olney, for the women there to participate in a foot-race whilst holding a frying pan and tossing the pancake that it contains. There are many videos of that event, but this is the most informative – and best footage: Olney Pancake Race    

In case the sight of that exertion made you hungry, I have provided the following recipe and photographs. I use a 6” pan and with only 2/3 of the ingredients, can easily make 9 or 10 of them – I did that vey thing this morning.  

The recipe - courtesy of Geoff Smith (Frigal Gourmet)

The ingredients and utensils

The cooking - lightly oiled pan, medium heat

The toppings - drizzled with honey, a dash of lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar

Plated - ready to eat - Enjoy!