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Danielle Lachana

These cheese-filled, pancakes known in Israel as ''blintzes'' (which means 'pancake' in Ukrainian!) are often served during the Jewish religious celebration ''Feast of Weeks'' (Shavout) when dairy dishes are eaten. They are also popular as a light meal in the evening.

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RECIPE

(Makes 6 - 8 pancakes)

METHOD

Mix together all the filling ingredients in a bowl until well combined and fairly smooth.

Sift the flour and thoroughly mix all the batter ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and lump-free.

Grease a small (approximately 20 cm) frying pan or crepe pan with a little butter and when hot pour in a little batter, tilting and swirling the pan so that the batter covers the bottom in a thin even layer. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes until the surface begins to bubble and is dry, but still a little sticky, and the bottom is light golden. Flip or turn the pancake over to cook on the other side. Transfer the pancake to a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter stacking the pancakes on top of one another separated by sheets of baking parchment (greaseproof  paper). Regrease the pan again as necessary.

Spread  2 tbsp of filling on the lower half of each pancake, leaving about a 2 cm border, and fold up (like an envelope) tucking in the ends as shown in the photographs below.

Arrange in a parchment-lined baking pan with gaps in between.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes in a preheated moderately hot oven at 200^o C (400^o F, Gas mark 6).

Alternatively, for a less 'light' version, you can sauté the pancakes in batches in butter or vegetable oil, flap side down first, for a couple of minutes over medium high heat until brown and crispy. (Turn over once to ensure even browning).

Serve immediately. If like, top with cream and/or apple sauce (puree).

 Note: If you prefer a savoury version, you can leave out the lemon juice, sugar, optional ingredients and cream. In this case I would suggest also grating some cheese over the top and grilling to finish.

We now leave Israel to take a short break in our voyage through the Southern Mediterranean, heading back north west in order to honour the upcoming Easter celebrations in Greece where Easter is the most important festival of the year. We will ''cruise'' around a few of the Greek islands so as to present  Grreporter recipes  for the typical dishes eaten at this time of the year. So see you next week with a traditional recipe for  the Greek 25 March celebrations ...