You walk through the front door, take the school bag off and try to chill for a bit before starting your homework. Maybe you're feeling a bit peckish, and need something that'll fill the gap between now and dinner time. Enter the after-school meal.
Ray & JP were reminiscing about the culinary delights that graced their childhood. Lately, Ray has been on a campaign to bring back what essentially a garlic butter infused breaded fish fillet. And if you take a listen back to the episode below, you'll hear how that has been going!
But in the meantime, among the fish fingers, instant noodles and potato waffles, there was a lot of love for one item- crispy pancakes.
No doubt you'll remember them - in its iconic red or pink box. Despite being discontinued on a few occasions over the years, the good news is, they are still available in many supermarkets around the country, albeit in a much smaller range.
The memories they bring back to people are mixed. Some fondly recalling their crispy exteriors and gooey filling as a mid-afternoon treat after a long day of learning. While others think of them in a similar way a hot apple pie from McDonalds's - where contents were often hotter than the surface of the sun!! But either way, it was the filling which made these nostalgic dishes so special. Past and present varieties included cheddar cheese, chicken and bacon, chicken and sweetcorn and chicken and mushroom.
While they might've fallen out of favour here in Ireland, that's not the case in Italy. Take a walk around an Italian supermarket and peek into the frozen section There, this delicacy is called Sofficini which translates "soft ones, fluffy ones". Their versions usually use mozzarella as a base with smoked ham, mushroom, tomato and basil among their selections.
Some chefs and bloggers over time have tried to make this freezer staple a bit more fancy. Recipes such as this from Chef Grainne O'Keefe for The Irish Times, or these varieties on the GastroGays website are all good places to start. But this video from the River Cottage YouTube channel is a a masterclass in how to elevate it to another level.
Admit it, you're tempted to make them now, aren't you?
Press play below to listen to the full chat!
Food with Ray Foley, thanks to Cully & Sully, Great Food & Soup-er conversation.
