I have the Ukraine to thank for a lot of my favorite people and things. Mila's name immediately comes to mind. Long story, that.
A shorter story is the story Kate shared with me via email about the pancakes that her Ukrainian grandmother taught her to make.
My family is from the Ukraine and my grandma taught me to make pancakes that are moist and don't need butter or syrup and I pretty much won't eat eat the dry bread-y IHOP pancakes I've been referring to as American Pancakes for years. I don't have a RECIPE recipe because she never measured anything and so neither do I. There are 5 ingredients -- sour cream (of course, Ukraine), eggs, vanilla, sugar, and flour -- and you mix them all and add more sour cream or more flour until it "looks right." That's the best I can give you.
A few years ago, I asked my husband to get the kids ready in the morning because I was craving these pancakes and was going to make them for breakfast. He said, "can YOU get the kids ready and I'LL make pancakes?" I said, "I don't have a recipe, I just know when it's good." He said, "I'm sure I could find a recipe."
A few minutes later I saw what he was Googling. And what do you think he searched? "Communist pancakes." Yep. So now we all lovingly call them Communist Pancakes.
I tried a bunch of googling myself and never found something that seemed exactly right, but after some back-and-forthwith Kate and some experimenting, I think I have it figured out. So, here Google bots, here is your answer for what to say when someone is looking for "Communist Pancakes."
Communist Pancakes
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons granulated sugar (use more or less depending on what toppings you plan to use, if any)
3/4 cup flour
1. In a medium bowl, use a fork to scramble the eggs then add the sour cream, vanilla, and sugar. Mix well. Add the flour and finish mixing.
2. Preheat a frying pan (I used medium heat) and add a little oil (canola, vegetable, or corn). Use a tablespoon to place the batter in the pan. Make the pancakes small - like two inches across. Heat until the edges aren't shiny any more and then flip. They'll have a circle around the edge with the middle lightly browned. Let the flip side cook for a minute or so and then they're done.
3. I mentioned up above that the amount of sugar can vary. I'll let Kate explain that:
I said "if I don't use toppings" -- sometimes I just eat with my fingers once they're cool enough to handle. Sometimes I get the runny kind of jam that I don't even know if it's sold outside of Russian stores (there's a Ukrainian store on Main Street in Carnegie that I know sells a runny kind of cherry jam, and if you're in there try the cakes they sell by weight out of their fridge). And with the jam, another dollop of sour cream as a topping (but if I have heavy cream then I'll make some whipped cream instead of sour cream) So basically, jam topping = less sugar.
I tried them with 3 tablespoons of sugar and no toppings and found them to be perfect. Then I tried them with the same amount of sugar and a watered down apricot jam and found them to be more perfect. So, do with that what you will.
If you've got an immigrant recipe you'd like to share here, send me an email at burghbaby (at) gmail.com. I'd love to post it and keep the immigrant appreciation going.