what’s up, holiday homies!

it’s molly of yore here (specifically molly of last thursday, who has just finished wrapping all of eggboy's stocking stuffers). current molly is on holiday break, which means she’s not allowed to:

unfold her computer
turn on her big camera
write anything down on paper that could be considered “recipe testing”
style food

in hopes that she will:

clean the prop room (finally)
spend more time at the gym
read a book
recharge, refuel, find inspiration, the meaning of life, inner and outer peace, the answer to all unanswerable questions, etc.

but she is probably:

internet shopping from her phone in front of the o.a. and a bowl of potato chips with ketchup

this is all totally beside the point though. the point is i’m writing at you from the past to give you this brunch idea for new year’s morning because it’s savory, tasty, squishy enough to lap up a hangover, and kind of actually healthy! it could even make you excited to start your new year’s diets. it’s the lovechild of two things: the spongey yemeni flatbread called lachuch which is basically a large floppy crumpet, and this thing i often like to do on sunday mornings which is to blend all of our about-to-go-bad herbs into crepe batter.

i first had lachuch in tzfat, a hilltop town in the galilee. there’s a great little stand there that fills lachuch with cheese, onions, tomatoes, za’atar, and really really spicy zhoug that the nice man always warns customers about. the whole thing gets crispy on the outside but remains chewy on the inside. the place is like a crepe stand for people like me who always like doughier things, and the few times that i’ve been there live in the back of my mind as really joyful memories. (look @ how happy i am)

lachuch itself is totally quirky in that it requires a yeasted batter. (i think i’ve only ever used yeast in doughs before this…?) in additional to yeast, most recipes i’ve read have an additional leavening agent, baking powder or baking soda. all of these leavening things create an elastic blobby batter that cooks up into the bubbliest pancake you’ve ever seen, and as i learned from the recipe in zahav, it’s often flavored with fenugreek, which has a very mild mustardy flavor. it does require some rising time, but if you know you’re gonna want these as soon as you wake up, blend the batter the night before and then let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.

and i’m using bob’s red mill all-purpose flour here, which is officially the softest velvetiest flour i’ve ever stuck my hand in!

green lachuch with a fried egg, herbs, and cheese

makes 6

ingredients

2 c warm water

1 tsp active dry yeast

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 bunch each: coarsely chopped parsley, mint, cilantro

2 cups bob's red mill all-purpose flour

1 tsp fenugreek (optional)

oil, for the pan

for serving: fried eggs, grated sharp cheese, thinly sliced purple onions, fresh herbs, za'atar, and zhoug or other hot sauce

clues

Add the water, yeast, and sugar to a blender or food processor, give it a little swirl and let it sit for 5 minutes or until foamy on top. Add salt, baking powder, herbs, flour, and fenugreek (if using) and blend until smooth. Let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the refrigerator over night, until doubled in size and bubbly.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat it with a thin coating of oil. Ladle in about 1 cup batter, and spread it out over the pan. cook until the bottom is browned and starting to crisp and the top is set. Don’t flip it!

To serve, top with a fried egg, grated cheese, thinly sliced purple onions, herbs, za’atar, and zhoug or other hot sauce. Enjoy!

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