Tomorrow is February 2nd and Candlemas or Kjørmes Knud in Danish, the day whicj marked midwinter and where the farmers took stock from their storage to see if they could make it through the rest of the winter. If they had used up more than half of their supplies, survival could be tight until spring time. Candlemas was also the Christian holy day of Mary’s purification, as well as the day of the Roman feast of Lupercalia.
There was a tradition of eating barley pancakes for Candlemas, to ensure a good barley harvest. They were eaten with apple pork. Last year I tried the traditional recipe, which was my cup of tea. That’s why I’ve chosen to use my recipe for thick buttermilk pancakes and then adapt it to fit
CANDLEMAS PANCAKES WITH APPLE PORK
4 SERVINGS.
PANCAKES:
CA. 14 PCS.
100 G WHEAT FLOUR
80 G BARLEY FLOUR
½ TSK. BAKING POWDER
1/4 TSK. BAKING SODA
½ TSK. SALT
25 G BUTTER
300 ML. BUTTERMILK
1/2 TSK GROUND CINNAMON
1 EGG
In a bowl, mix wheat flour, barley flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In a jug mix together melted and cooled butter, buttermilk and eggs.
Make a well in the flour mixture and whisk in the wet ingredients little by little for a smooth batter.
Let the batter rest for 10 min.
Melt som butter or oil in a pan at medium heat and pour a spoon of batter on, about 1/4 dl. with top.
Cook the pancakes until air bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Turn the pancakes and bake them golden brown on the other side.
APPLE PORK:
200 G BACON
3 LARGE APPLES
1 RED ONION
2 TBSP. SUGAR
50 ML. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
SALT AND PEPPER
FRESH THYME
Peel the red onion and cut it into thin slices of about 2 mm.
Rinse the apples and remove the core. Cut the apples into thick slices and the bacon into large cubes.
Fry the bacon crispy, add the red onion and cook until they soften. It is important that they do not become too soft and tender.
Add apples, sugar and apple cider vinegar and cook for a few minutes until the apples soften. Gently turn them, without cutting up the apple slices.
Season with salt, pepper and thyme.
