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 The
whelp at home:
He leaves his bed, goes out
into the hallway and sits atop the floor heater vent.
It is
warm and dark; here he can doze, listen to the clink
of spoon against coffee cup, and smell the
Folger’s instant coffee.
Latkes (potato pancakes)
Funny how everyone's potato
pancakes are different. These pancakes have a unique
flavor, quite distinct from the German potato
pancake, and VERY different from most restaurant
potato pancakes, which are usually glorified hash
browns.
Incidentally, this is one of
the few nourishing dishes that Boy will eat, so
Angstwolf often prepares these on weekends.
1 large russet potato,
peeled and coarsely grated
2 large eggs, beaten well
1 medium yellow onion,
coarsely grated
black pepper, about ½ tsp
salt, about 1 tsp
1 tbsp matzo meal or corn
starch
Combine all ingredients, mix
well, and allow the mix to rest for about 5 minutes. The fluid will
become very runny and it will be somewhat brown. The potatoes
will also turn a little brown.(You can minimize the
"brown problem" by peeling and grating the
potato as the last step, adding the potato to the
other mixed ingredients.It hardly matters, though.)
Using a fork, transfer about 2
tbsp of the mix to a large nonstick frying pan in
which you have placed about 2 or 3 tbsp of vegetable
oil. The
oil should be hot, but not excessively so. Use the fork
to flatten the pancake. If there are any gaps, spoon
some of the fluid over the pancake. You should be
able to fit about 3 pancakes into a large frying pan. Fry until
medium-dark brown, flip, and continue frying until
they have browned. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
These should be eaten as soon
as possible after preparation. If you need to store them for
any length of time, place them on foil in a warm
(225F) oven. You will lose some crispness, but the
flavor will still be very good. Some people like to eat these
with apple sauce and/or sour cream. Angstwolf and
Boy like ‘em straight up.
This is a very robust recipe;
you can make a number of substitutions and obtain
very different results. Matzo meal and corn starch give
subtle but noticeable differences in flavor. Substituting
sweet potato or yam for the russet potato yields a
sweet, delicious pancake.(Sweet potato or yam pancakes
cook faster and are easier to burn than regular
potato pancakes; be careful.) You can substitute a red onion
for a yellow onion, or add crushed garlic; each
yields an interesting flavor variation.
Weekends,
he cuts through the hallway to
the den to watch cartoons on Saturday or the
preachers on Sunday. Later in the morning, he sits on the
counter and watches Sargent mix batter for pancakes
or waffles, or fry up some scrambled eggs and onions,
or prepare a Bull’s Eye.
One morning, he is startled to
see a rent in the den’s screen door. It is large
enough to pass an orange. Brother arises some time later
and scares him by telling him how much trouble he is
going to be in for making the hole.
Eventually Sargent joins them
(Eyes-Pinned-Open, who has insomnia, would often
sleep late into the morning). Angstwolf tells Sargent how a
large blue bird flew through the screen, punching a
hole in it, circled the room a few times, and flew
out again. Sargent tells Angstwolf, "Yeah, that
bird was your mother’s fist."
Bull’s Eye
Sargent told Angstwolf that he
invented this recipe. If so, it has been unfairly
appropriated by many a restaurant.
 This recipe works well with
just about any bread, but is especially good with
sour dough or rye bread; it is a good way to trick
your young whelps into eating their eggs.
1 slice of toast
1 large egg
butter or margarine
salt and pepper
Cut a hole from the center of
the toast, about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Butter both
sides of the bread. Transfer the bread to a hot nonstick
frying pan and fry one side. Flip over the bread and begin
frying the opposite side. Put a small lump of butter in
the center of the hole. As it begins to melt, crack the
egg into the hole, such that the yolk is centered
over the hole. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook it for a
bit, flip it and fry it a little longer to cook the
egg. Try
not to break the yolk!
Scrambled Eggs and Matzo
Well folks, this one definitely
falls into the realm of comfort food; Shewolf, for
one, cannot appreciate the simple appeal of this
dish. Sargent
(who is not a particularly religious wolf) would buy
matzos just to make this one recipe.
3 large eggs
1 matzo cracker
½ cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Over a bowl, break the matzo
into small chunks (about 1 inch square). Add about ½
tsp salt, pepper to taste, and the milk. Stir often
until much of the milk has been absorbed by the
matzo. Break
the eggs into the bowl and scramble them together
with the matzo. Fry over medium heat in a nonstick frying
pan. Add
additional salt and pepper to taste.
The wolves are
circling for some heavy fare...
Finding matzo a mystery? Check out
Angstwolf's Matzo FAQ.
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