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Fotzel slices (Fotzelschnitte)

Nobody really knows how this dish got its name. Fotzel means a torn-off scrap of paper. But in Basel dialect it means a suspicious individual, or a ne'er-do-well...

Our grandmothers used to use stale bread to make fotzel slices, which made it an ideal recipe for homemakers accustomed to the rule: "Never throw any bread away."

Ingredients for four people:

• 12 slices of dark bread (preferably from the previous day)
• milk
• 3 eggs
• butter
• sugar
• cinnamon

Method

1. Sprinkle a little milk over the bread
2. Stir the eggs in a bowl, and mix in about three tablespoons of milk and a pinch of salt
3. Heat butter in a skillet
4. Lay the bread slices in the egg and milk mixture to soften them, then transfer them to the skillet
5. Fry on both sides until they are brown
6. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste

Serve with apple purée:

1. Peel and core 4 - 5 apples and cut into slices
2. Cook the apple in about 1/3 cup water until soft, then mash until smooth
3. Add e.g. lemon juice, sugar or maple syrup to taste

Cold milk is drunk with this.