Potato Pancakes

Today's recipe for Potato Pancakes aka Dranuku (or Russian Draniki), the national dish of Belarus and comes from a 14 year old young lady. This sounds so yummy! I love anything with potatoes. The postcard image is of Independence Avenue in Minsk. It is so beautiful!

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes
1 yellow onion
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
2-4 tablespoons flour
black pepper
oil

Directions:

1. Finely grate the potatoes with onion into a large bowl. Drain off any excess liquid.

2. Mix in egg, salt and black pepper. Add enough flour to make mixture thick, about 2-4 tablespooons all together.

3. Turn oven to low, about 200 F or 95 C.

4. Heat 1/4 inch oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Fry turning once, until golden brown.

(Note: Simply use an all purpose or your favorite gluten free flour blend to make it gluten free!)

Bon apetit and Happy Postcrossing!

Diana

Cilantro Pesto

Today's recipe for Cilantro Pesto comes from a lovely couple in Washington State, USA. They note that it comes recommended by both spouses to stay equally "kissing" sweet.

Now I've made pesto from each basil and carrot greens that I've grown in my garden, but I haven't tried it with cilantro yet and I'm very excited. I love cilantro. Now if you're still scratching your head over carrot green pesto, it reminds me a little of a curled parsley pesto. Here's a recipe: Carrot Green Pesto.

Now for the Cilantro Pesto:

Ingredients:

5 cloves garlic
1 bunch organic cilantro
1 cup sliced almonds (pine nuts are too expensive)
1/4 cup grated cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
dash cracked pepper to taste
dash sea salt to taste

Directions:

Mix ingredients in a blender until level of desired creamy or crunchy consistency.

Serve with sliced sourdough french bread, gluten-free crackers, or other medium.

Note: If you're not familiar with pesto and you're wondering what type of cheese to use, Parmesan is standard. I'm curious to try this with other cheeses though, maybe cojita?

Bon Apetit!

Diana