A Treat for My Valentine: Pan de Polvo Pancakes

I feel so fortunate to have grown up in such a culturally rich part of the country; the biggest by product of this being the wonderful food that I grew up eating.  Chicken fried steak, enchiladas, tacos, kolaches and great barbeque were so abundant that I took them for granted as a kid.

It was not until I got a little older that I started to realize that food being great was not a given, even in Texas.  Then as I started to pay for it myself I realized that there were people who couldn’t or wouldn’t cook well and would gladly take your money for it with no apologies.  What a disappointment that was.  It was about this point that I began to really miss and appreciate the wonderful home cooking that I had been eating my entire life. 

Thankfully it wasn't long before I realized I wasn't the only one that felt this way about simple, down home food.  I even worked for a caterer who encouraged his cooks to make their pies and breads far less than perfect to send a message to diners that everything they were eating was lovingly made by human hands.  He was a real challenge to work for, but the man knew what people wanted.

One of the things that was ever present on the tables at his catering events were a selection of little homemade heart shaped bite size cookies and chocolates.  Usually the first things to go were the cookies known as pan de polvo or Mexican wedding cookies.  I have also seen cookies very similar in other cultures with names like Sandies and Danish wedding cookies.  Whatever you want to call them they are good. 

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought that maybe I would start planning what I would treat my Valentine with this year.  I did consider making some of these little cookies but I really want to do something unexpected this year.  That’s when I had a brainstorm.  I decided to make pancakes for my boys with the cinnamon and anise flavors of pan de polvo. 

  
Don’t be put off because Valentine’s Day is on a weekday this year.  This recipe is perfect for a quick breakfast since you can prepare the wet and dry ingredients the night before and store them separately, combining them just before cooking the next morning.   Besides, the longer the milk tea steeps the more flavorful the pancakes.

Pan de Polvo Pancakes

This recipe starts out by making a "tea" with the milk and spices.  If you are making this ahead, make the first step and let the tea steep covered in the refrigerator overnight for a stronger flavor or remove the spices before refrigerating for a milder flavor.

1 ½ cups milk

2 – 2” cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract (Mexican vanilla is my favorite)

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 ounces chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

Place the milk, cinnamon sticks and star anise in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let steep until the milk is completely cool.  Remove the cinnamon and star anise.  Add the oil, egg and vanilla, stir well; set aside until ready to use.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  While stirring constantly, slowly add enough of the milk “tea” to form a mixture that resembles thick paint.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat.  Wipe pan with an oil soaked paper towel.  When the pan is hot pour enough of the batter to form a 4” pancake.   While watching closely, cook pancakes until bubbles form and begin to pop on the surface of the pancake (approximately 2 minutes).  Swiftly and carefully flip pancakes over to cook the other side for approximately 1 – 2 minutes or until they are golden brown. Transfer to serving plates.

Combine powdered sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.  Transfer to a small screen strainer or shaker and sprinkle over pancakes.  Top with equal amounts of the toasted pecans.  Serve immediately.

*If pancakes are too brown or start to burn before bubbles start to pop, reduce heat in small increments until a golden brown color is reached. 

Serve with warm maple syrup.

Makes 12 – 4” pancakes.

An English Chip Shop Favorite: Mushy Peas

I often extol the virtues of English food in an attempt to counteract the bad reputation that it has earned over time.  Oh sure, just like any country’s cuisine, some of England’s unsavory food reputation has been well deserved, but let us not forget that we have Slim Jims and Spam ourselves.

As you can tell from reading my blog I am a real lover of unassuming, plain old simple cooking.  In England this spans the gamut from toad in the hole to bread and butter pudding.  Somewhere in between are some of my favorites, steak and ale pie, sticky toffee pudding and fish and chips.

Most every little village in the UK has their own jewel in the crown, the local fish and chip shop.  In addition to great fried fish, there are usually a few sides available here as well, most notably big chunky chips, and very often mushy peas and baked beans.  While baked beans are a big favorite a lot of times, it’s the mushy peas I really love with my fish and chips.  

In the UK mushy peas are most often prepared with marrowfat peas.  Marrowfat peas are peas that are allowed to mature and dry in the field instead of being harvested in their youth like garden peas.   You may recognize them as the peas used to make wasabi peas.  I found these giant super plump peas (sans wasabi coating) impossible to find here in the Denver area, so I set about replicating them with what I could find. 

I started out my hunt for the perfect American mushy pea recipe with frozen peas.  I cooked them per the package instructions, leaving a bit of the cooking liquid in the pan to add some additional moisture to my recipe.  I mashed them and whipped them around a bit and what I landed up with was pretty good, but it missed the mark.

Next I tried soaking and cooking dried peas.  I must admit from the start here that I found my plain old dried peas (not split peas which taste ok, but get too mushy) at my favorite rainy day hang out, my local Asian market.  You might have to do a little hunting to seek even these out, but it is worth the trouble if you are looking for great stateside mushy peas.

Dried Whole Green Peas

I soaked my peas overnight (or at least 8 hours) and then cooked them for close to 3 hours to get the right tenderness.  I removed the transparent skins that cooked to the top and then mashed them just a tad as they were already starting to breakdown.  I was so proud of myself for not spooning in a bunch of seasonings as I did have some fresh bacon drippings sitting right next to the pot.  I had to remind myself that it was simplicity I was after here not a spice rack full of ingredients.

The end result was the closest thing to English chip shop mushy peas on this side of the Atlantic.  Although time consuming, this was really a simple recipe. So if you love mushy peas as much as I do, or if you’d like to try something new, give this super simple recipe a try.

Mushy Peas

1 cup dried whole green peas

6 – 7 cups water, divided

1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Black pepper to taste

Fresh lemon juice (optional)

Sort through the peas, place in a large sauce pan and cover with 3 cups of water.  Soak peas in water overnight or at least 8 hours.

Drain peas and cover with enough of the remaining water to cover by an inch or so.  Add salt to the peas and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a slow boil, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook until peas are soft, approximately 2 – 3 hours. 

Remove the cover and stir well.  Mash the peas until about 50% of them are mashed.  Continue cooking to reduce the amount of liquid until the peas have the consistency of loose refried beans.  Add pepper and just a squeeze of lemon juice if desired to brighten the flavor.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4,  or in our case 2

*Some recipes call for baking soda to be added to the cooking water to help speed up the breakdown of the peas.  I've also read that some think it cuts down on the gassiness of the peas.  I can't verify either of these theories as once I read it breaks down the beneficial thiamine (Vitamin B1) in the peas I just left it out.  I'll leave this experiment up to you.