Pancake Day

I always think that pancakes are an English thing on Shrove Tuesday,  but when I was reading My kitchen in spain  yesterday I discovered that it's also a custom in Galicia,  in the Northwest of Spain.  In Galicia they are called filloas and are more like a crepe.  There are some interesting recipes on  My kitchen in Spain.

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent starts,  here though it's called Carnaval and is celebrated during February,  celebrations everywhere and the shops seem to be full of fancy dress costumes.    But lots of info here on Wikipedia  and pictures too.

We do have pancakes more often than just Shrove Tuesday especially in this chilly weather that we have - yes,  snow all around us again yesterday morning but just rain here,  today sunny but chilly.  So I made pancakes yesterday morning for elevenses but not thin crepe like ones but smaller ones to have with butter and jam.  Some recipes for these call them drop scones,  I seem to remember in supermarkets in England they are Scotch pancakes but it's been a while since I bought any so I might have misremembered! 

Here is our recipe....

In a jug,  whisk together 1 egg with 1/4 pint of milk (can't do quarters on here but that's what I mean)

In a bowl put 120 grams self raising flour and 30 grams of sugar,  add a pinch of salt.

Whisk the egg and milk mix into the flour/sugar mix and beat well.

Heat a griddle or maybe a heavy-base frying pan would work,  lightly greased.  Put spoonfuls of batter on and after maybe 30 seconds or so,  the tops of the pancakes will bubble.  When that happens flip them over to cook the other side.

And that's it!   That mixture makes about 18 pancakes....

Only 10 left this morning,  stacked up ready for the butter and strawberry jam.  Enjoy!

A snowy morning!

Normally Monty and Pip are the first ones awake,  a change in the light probably wakes them,  that is unless it's raining when they don't move from their beds.  Fair weather dogs!   This morning I was first up,  and later than normal,  but no sound of rain,  so why were they both still curled up?  Opened the curtains and shutters to snow.

Pip will be 6 this week and Monty is 11 and a bit but still enjoys playing..

 Mecina Bombaron and el Golco are somewhere in there...

A tiny icicle on the tap at the chapel...

Water splashed on this branch all night..

Looking back towards Montenegro from the path to the fuente....

Snowy trees....

But sadly the snow hasn't lasted long,  the clouds parted and the sun peeked through, and all that's left is a bit on the hills above us.

Windfalls.

I spotted some lemons on the ground after the night of the noisy  wind,  thought there were only a couple but found 15 lemons down and 3 oranges from the tree nearby.  A branch had got snapped off during the night  and there are about another dozen or so still on the branch.  Unfortunately they are all small and green,  not any where near ready for picking and I don't think there is enough of the branch still attached for them to grow anymore.

Anyone got any ideas what we can do with small green lemons?  There may be some juice in them,  but I'm sure they'll be too hard to squeeze,   green lemon zest maybe?  Sounds odd but they smell lemony so it might taste ok.

Windy again last night but not as strong or for as long,  only about 3 hours or so,  then today we've had snow flurries blowing around,  pretty - it looks like blossom on the breeze -  but not laying......yet.