201227 Christmas 2020 Chickpea Cakes

 dec. 27

The moon last night. 

"It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."*

There was much talk and moaning about missing friends and relatives this Christmas, missing parties, gift-giving, impromptu visits, but what I saw on social media (for which we must be grateful!) was a lot of connecting with friends and relatives, and sharing - photos of Christmases past and this Christmas too, small feasts, favorite ornaments, gingerbread, candy canes, a goat in a court jester collar (!), cats under Christmas trees, families in Santa hats, snowmen in PPE, freshly fallen snow on Christmas morning. This will be a Christmas to remember, with unplanned and unprecedented wonders, special moments that happened because all the usual moments made space for them. There was time to listen to favorite Christmas music, watch a movie in pajamas, cuddle with pets and family, children and parents had more time to play, or to open that new book from a best friend. We were united in the spirit of this holiday more surely than in other years because of our physical separation! I enjoyed (virtually) so many carols performed in hospitals and churches, the singers safely social-distancing; sermons and sayings were deeper in meaning, expressing more love for our fellow humans, poignant, fresh and heartfelt, precisely because we faced a common foe, because it all had to be different this Christmas in the year 2020. 

Indre and Robin

*****

It was 13 degrees here on Christmas day. I walked across the meadow and washed my face in the mountain stream.

                    

                                                           The fire was a comfort yesterday while snow blew across the valley.

*****

My mother was English and cooked plain English meals for the most part. She made excellent stews and soups, comforting foods like corned beef hash and toad-in-the-hole. The latter: breakfast sausages baked in yorkshire pudding: TDF. (to die for) Mom could mix up a batch of yorkshire pudding at the drop of a hat. She had a gift. She made dumplings for stew, or savoury biscuits like a whispered aside in the moments between setting the table and stirring the gravy. She made them without a written recipe by eye and hand. I haven't yet developed her expertise but I'm still working on it! 

One of my favorites was potato scones - there were always leftover potatoes because there were potatoes with every dinner. I am constantly experimenting with biscuits and pancakes using interesting add-ins: potato of course, corn, sweet potato, even bean sprouts and onion, Korean style, have all been brought to the frying pan or oven in some mixture of flour, milk, eggs and fat, with more or less success! With the various food restrictions we have practiced for our family's health over the years I have learned to make scones and pancakes from every kind of flour, gluten-free and otherwise, including ground almonds, egg and maple syrup; chickpea and corn flour, and corn niblets in wheat flour batter.

Last week I surprised myself by inventing chickpea pancakes that really worked! I started with chickpeas cooked from dry, soaking them overnight and boiling them the next day. Their beautiful yellow-pink hue, rich flavour and baked-potato texture whispered fluffy pancakes: I mashed the cooked peas with the bottom of a water-glass, the only masher in the house, and stirred in eggs, onions and seasoning. I fried them slowly on a lightly greased griddle and a golden dream cake was born! I thought of a few toppings that might go well but butter (margarine) took the cake. I toasted the leftovers in the toaster and re-heated them in the microwave, both with lovely success.

(to skip recipe, please scroll down.)

Chickpea Cakes

I served these for dinner with greens. Makes 10 to 12 cakes, serves 4 or 5. 

1 1/2 C chickpeas (dry) cooked and mashed. (There were still a few whole peas in the pancakes.)

1 white or yellow onion chopped fine

4 eggs

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garlic powder            substitute fresh for either

shakes black pepper

shakes cayenne pepper

shakes of salt for 4 eggs (1/2 tsp?)

Mix onion into the chickpeas

Beat eggs with all the seasonings.

Mix egg mixture into the peas.

Drop by spoonfuls onto griddle and flatten gently. Brown on both sides.

I used a little olive oil on the pan. It's a sort of non-stick griddle.

Try with nut spreads, honey, hot sauce, and more. I will stick with butter. 

 Chickpea cakes

*****

For the first time in a week there is no wind. The snow is falling slowly and silently, (which word strikes me as an odd adverb for snow, but it works, the trees are so still). Today it is cold again at minus 10.

Take it easy for the rest of the year! Life will return in earnest in seven days. 

To the tireless caregivers looking after the sick this holiday season, thank you. Your generosity and kindness are deeply appreciated by those in your care and by their loved ones.

Thank you, readers, for visiting.

Mumma Yaga

* Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas