Catholic Recipe: Cheese Blintzes

Pentecost is the name of the Jewish festival that was being celebrated in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit first came to the disciples. Pentecost came fifty days after the Passover (the Greek word penteconta means fifty) and is also called the Feast of Weeks or Shevuoth. For the Jews it was originally a spring festival celebrating the first-fruits of the wheat harvest, and was introduced after their release from Egypt. It also commemorates the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai - as a reminder of this most important event the Jews eat cakes shaped like mountains with white toppings to look like clouds.

It is said that the people waited so long for Moses to return from Mt. Sinai that the milk curdled and white cheese was left, and so dishes such as cheese blintzes (see below) and cheese knishes (see link) and cheescakes were traditionally eaten at Shevuoth. The whiteness of these dishes also serves as a reminder of the purity or holiness of God's Law. This may also account for the tradition of cheese rolling in Gloucestershire. At Cooper's Hill, near Birdlip, England, cheeses are rolled from the top of the hill and men chase them, the catcher keeping the cheese as his prize.

Blintzes are filled pancakes which are fried a second time after being filled. So you will need pancakes made as per Shrove Tuesday.

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the filling by mixing all ingredients together.

2. Place a spoonful of mixture in the center of each pancake and fold the edges over to form an envelope.

3. Fry the blintzes in hot butter or oil on both sides.

4. Serve hot with added sugar and cinnamon if desired.