Clătite cu fragi (Crepes with fresh wild strawberries) (Romanian)

I already shared here the basic recipe for Clătite (Romanian pancakes). They're not that different to how crepes are made in the rest of Europe. But this filling of fresh wild strawberries (known as fragi in Romanian) and honey is a truly unique local treat and you won't find it in any other European cuisine. 

These little and strongly flavored fruits are not grown industrially and they're therefore difficult to come by. They grow in the mountainous regions, high altitude forests and the like, and if you find them for sale in markets, it's a rare treat; it means that the person selling them probably hiked and picked them up by hand. 

When I was little (about 12), I spent about 3 weeks outdoors with my parents, on a prolonged vacation to the mountains. We had some camp cooking equipment so we could make pancakes, and these Clătite cu fragi are one of the things I remember fondly about that trip. They were just there, ripe and ready to be picked up. The best foraging-based snack ever :). 

If you manage to get your hands on these somehow, do try these crepes. They're amazing. :)

Last year: nothing.

Two years ago: nothing.

Three years ago: nothing.

Four years ago: Espaguetis con atún y alcaparras (Spaghetti with tuna and capers) (Spanish).

Five years ago: Goat feta bits in pesto and walnut crust.

Six years ago: Chili cheese nachos (Nachos con queso) (Mexican).

Seven years ago: Fruit chaat (Indian fruit salad) (raw vegan).

Four years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 liter of milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 250 g flour
• pinch of salt
• vegetable oil or butter for frying
• a bit of sparkling water for thinning the batter

For the filling:

• 400 g wild strawberries
• 30 ml honey or 5-6 tablespoons sugar
• a dusting of vanilla confectioners sugar

Make the crepes in advance, by following the step by step instructions here. Let them cool down, you don't want to toast the delicate wild strawberries by putting them into hot crepes.

Once the pancakes reach room temperature, spread a line of fresh fragi over the middle of one. Top with a little honey (or sugar at worst) and roll it up. 

Proceed with the next crepes until they are all filled. Dust with confectioners sugar and it's done, dig in! :)