Hazelnut-Cornmeal Pancakes

We all had to carry cornmeal with us from the Mandan-Hidatsa Villages in the spring of 1805. By the time we reached this village on the Columbia, our stores of prairie foods were gone and we relied on such foods as camas roots, berries and hazelnuts. We had this for breakfast sometimes they were so good they almost melted in your mouth.

/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal (see Note)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other fat
Vegetable oil, for frying
Berry syrup, butter, honey, or sugar, for serving

Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and place it about 4 inches from preheated oven broiler. Turn off the heat. Leave the nuts in the oven for 2 minutes, or until they’ve turned golden brown. Remove at once. Set aside.

Combine the cornmeal, baking soda, and salt. Stir in 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of oil all at once just until batter is moistened. Let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Stir in the nuts.

Heat a heavy griddle over medium-high heat. Brush with 1 teaspoon oil. Reduce the heat to medium. Pour the batter by the tablespoon onto the hot griddle, cooking 4 to 6 pancakes at a time. Cook until bubbly and drying around the edges, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to a warm platter and repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately with berry syrup, butter, honey, or sugar as desired.

Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen 3- to 4-inch pancakes.

Note: For a more tender pancake, replace 1/2 cup of the cornmeal with 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, add 1 egg, and reduce the oil to 1 tablespoon.