Potato Latkes with Lemongrass Yogurt Sauce

Latkes!

Now there’s a good word. 

The word we generally hear around this time of year because Hanukkah (or Chanuka if you prefer) is coming (sundown on December 8th). And on Hanukkah we eat:

Latkes!

Ohmyohmyohmy. They’re another of those really really wonderful things to eat. Crispy. Crunchy. Hot. Fried. 

It really doesn’t get much better. Even if latkes are among those foods that help pack on the 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years.

Try to limit yourself if you can. :) These are quite luscious.

I have made potato latkes more times than I can even imagine. It’s tough to be the one at the stove, sampling and all. If you get my meaning.

I have lots of potato latke recipes. The first step is which kind of potatoes to buy: baking (Russet, Idaho). They’re the driest, so your latkes won’t be as soggy as they might with other varieties.

Second: how to grate the potatoes. I’ve hand grated them; used the food processor shredder; first shredded then chopped the potatoes with the S-blade. They’re all good methods, but my kids like the shredded version the best. 

We also like latkes with sour cream. REAL sour cream, not the fake non-fat stuff. But actually, Chobani 0% plain yogurt is absolutely wonderful too. Nice and tangy and thick.

Okay, a few of us prefer applesauce. But not from my side of the family.

I’m adding a recipe for Lemongrass-Yogurt Sauce too, because there’s always someone (usually me) who wants to try something new. This one’s a goody.

Potato Latkes

4 large peeled baking potatoes

1 large onion

3 tablespoons matzo meal, breadcrumbs or potato starch

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

vegetable oil for frying

Grate the potatoes and onion into a bowl or, if using a food processor, shred the potatoes and onion together. If you prefer latkes softer, after shredding, place the shreds back into the food processor and use the S-blade. Process the potatoes and onions to a fine consistency. Either squeeze the vegetables in a kitchen towel over a bowl or place the mixture in a rigid strainer set over a bowl and press the vegetables. In either case, wring or squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the matzo meal or breadcrumbs or use the solid potato starch that remains at the bottom of the bowl containing the squeezed liquid. Stir in the eggs, salt, pepper and baking powder. Heat about 1/4” vegetable oil in a cast iron or other heavy heat retaining skillet over moderately high heat. Drop some of the potato mixture into the pan, using equal amounts to make each pancake. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until the pancakes are golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dairy sour cream, nonfat plain yogurt, applesauce or Lemongrass-Yogurt Sauce (below) Makes 12-16

Lemongrass-Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 scallion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons finely chopped lemongrass

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped chili pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lime peel

2 tablespoons lime juice

salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly to distribute them evenly. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Makes about one cup

Salmon Couscous Salad with Blue Cheese and Dried Cranberries

Lighten up that Hanukkah celebration. Yeah, yeah, I’ve been going on and on about fried food. There’s nothing like it with its crunchy wonderfulness.

But last night our local Hadassah had its annual Hanukkah-time potluck dinner, especially to thank all the women who bake every two weeks for the Hadassah-sponsored teas at Stamford Hospital’s cancer center (which I have to say are wildly welcome and a raging success!).

I didn’t want to bring fried. It doesn’t travel well. Fried gets soggy when you tote it anywhere (although someone brought 3 different kinds of latkes and they crisped up nicely). 

And I figured everyone there had already had their fill of the stuff.

So I cooked this really easy, pretty, colorful, light-but-filling Salmon-Couscous Salad. Everyone loved it. Use it year ‘round. Whenever. 

Salmon Couscous Salad with Blue Cheese and Dried Cranberries

1 pound fresh salmon

olive oil or vegetable oil

1-1/2 cups Israeli couscous

1 cup thawed frozen peas

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

4 medium scallions, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat a broiler, grill pan or outdoor grill. Brush the salmon with a film of olive oil or vegetable oil. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through. Remove the fish to a cutting board, let cool and cut into small chunks. Cook the couscous until al dente, drain and place in a bowl. Add the fish, peas, cheese, scallions, cranberries, orange peel, dill and mint. Toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the vegetable oil, lemon juice and orange juice and toss ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings

The Oil Spill

All this talk about Hanukkah and oil reminded me of the time my nephew, who was then about 4 and the type of kid who was mischievous and always getting into trouble, reached for a bottle of olive oil that his mother had left on the counter.

It was a liter size bottle made of glass, so that when he managed to get hold of it it did exactly what you’re now picturing.

There were large shards of glass all over the floor and a liter of olive oil trickling everywhere.

My sister-in-law managed to get hold of the glass pieces before any harm was done. That only took a minute.

The olive oil spill cleanup was like the BP accident in the Gulf. 

She used a few rolls of paper towels to get the puddles dry. But an oil slick? It takes more time than you think because even after it you wipe it dry there’s that film of oil underneath. So then you have to use soapy water and rinse that and dry that but there still may be a film underneath.

It goes on and on.

I’d bet that when they sold the house several years later there was still some olive oil under the fridge.

So —be warned! Be careful where you leave that oil bottle is all I can say. My sister-in-law still talks about that incident, which was more than 30 years ago.

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Last year I mentioned that I make a roasted goose every Hanukkah (recipe and all). Well, yesterday I bought the bird and my goose will be cooked next weekend, for our traditional family Hanukkah dinner. This isn’t an old tradition in our family. It started with me, after I read that in German Jewish families goose is a traditional dinner on the Fifth night of Hanukkah.

Well, we all love goose so we can pretend to be German that night, just like on St. Patrick’s Day we eat Irish-style: corned beef and cabbage and Irish Soda Bread. 

Lo and behold! Our Hanukkah dinner this year falls on the fifth night of Hanukkah (December 24th). How nice!

In addition to the goose we’ll have roasted potatoes (using some of the goose fat that renders), a green vegetable and this Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage:

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 medium head red cabbage, shredded

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 cups water

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 whole cloves

salt to taste

Heat the vegetable oil and margarine in a large, deep saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and apple and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the cabbage, bay leaf, brown sugar, water, wine vinegar, lemon juice, cloves and salt and toss the ingredients until they are evenly distributed. Cover the pan. Simmer the ingredients, stirring occasionally, for one hour. Remove the bay leaf (cloves usually disintegrate). Makes 6-8 servings

Mashed Potato Pancakes

There’s no proxy for a real, crispy fried potato latkes. No mock-fake-oven version. No sweet potato or zucchini substitute. I would never even suggest such a thing. It’s almost sacrilegious. Even though these items may actually taste fine. They’re just not the same thing.

On the other hand, even during Hanukkah, after a feast of the classics, you might want to eat something else with dinner. So I am suggesting Mashed Potato Latkes. My mother used to make something similar whenever there were leftover mashed potatoes. Which wasn’t very often. I’m just sayin’.

They go with everything from roasted chicken to fried eggs to bulgur wheat casserole.

Mashed Potato Pancakes

2 pounds boiling potatoes

4 tablespoons butter, margarine or olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 to 1/3 cup milk, dairy sour cream or vegetable stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, optional

1 large egg

all-purpose flour or bread crumbs

vegetable oil and/or butter/margarine/vegetable oil mixture for frying

Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. While the potatoes are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the onion and cook for 6-7 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Drain the potatoes but leave them in the saucepan. Add the onions and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and mash the ingredients until fairy smooth and without large lumps. Add 1/4 cup milk, salt, pepper, parsley and chives, if used, and stir to blend ingredients until evenly distributed. Add more liquid if the mixture seems too thick. Set the mixture aside in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until chilled. Shape the mixture into patties about 1/2-inch thick. Dredge the patties in flour to coat both sides. Heat some butter and/or vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the patties a few at a time and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until hot and crispy. Repeat with remaining patties, adding more fat to the pan if necessary. Makes 6-8 servings

Aunt Ronnie makes french fries from a potato!

All this talk about Hanukkah and potatoes and latkes and frying got me to thinking about a time years and years ago when my niece, then age 6 or so, came for the weekend. When she got home the first thing she reported to her Mom was this wondrous thing:

"Aunt Ronnie makes french fries from a potato!"

That became one of the official “family comments.” You know, the kind of thing we mention from time to time and no one ever forgets because it is so funny and so telling.

She thought french fries came from a box from the freezer. Much the way, when I was a little girl, I thought all fish except for salmon came from a rectangular box from the freezer. 

Well, of course, french fries actually come from a potato. And the home made fries are so so so so much more delicious than the ones from the box. And crispier too.

Just like fresh fish. As opposed to frozen, packaged.

Sure, making french fries from scratch is a whole lot more work and it’s messier and your kitchen smells from oil afterwards (wait — this sounds just like making latkes!)

But try it once and you will soon learn the glories of french fries made from a potato.

And — as far as Hanukkah frying is concerned, french fries are easier to make than latkes. 

To get rid of frying odors make a potpourri: a couple of cinnamon sticks, a few cloves, allspice berries, the peel of an orange. Maybe a hunk of fresh ginger. Stuff like that. Put them in a pot, cover with water and cook on low.

So here’s the recipe and the best way to cook crispy, wonderful french fries not using a box:

French Fries

2 pounds Idaho potatoes (Russets)

vegetable oil (canola, peanut, soy)

Peel the potatoes and cut them into strips about 1/4-inch thick. Place the strips on paper towels to dry the surface. Heat several inches of vegetable oil (such as the ones suggested) in a large, deep pot (or fryer). Heat on medium-high to about 360 degrees (use a candy thermometer; a tiny piece of potato will sizzle when you put it into the hot fat). Working with a small batch at a time, immerse the strips and cook for 5-6 minutes or until they are lightly golden brown. Using a skimmer or fry basket, remove the fries and let cool for a minute or so, then place them back in the hot fat for 2-4 minutes longer, or until golden brown and crispy. Makes 4-6 servings

Note: to cook in advance: cook the fries in batches for 5-6 minutes. After removing the fries after the initial cooking, place them on paper towels. Just before serving, reheat the oil to 360-400 degrees. Working in batches, cook the partially-cooked fries for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Gingersnaps

Does Santa bring Hanukkah gifts?

A few years ago I was driving my granddaughter Lila home from preschool and I heard her tiny little voice say “you know grandma, I want Santa Claus to get me something for Hanukkah. He’s coming to town, don’tcha know?”

Wow, how do you keep yourself from chuckling at a statement like that?

And also, what do you say to a 2-1/2-year old kid from a Jewish family that doesn’t celebrate Christmas?

And also, I’m only the grandma. This is best left to the parents isn’t it? The old Jewish December Dilemma about what to tell your children about why we don’t have a tree or stockings or even Santa Claus.

But Lila’s question was a little different. She already knew that her family celebrates Hanukkah, not Christmas. She just placed Santa into the event. You know, the menorah, the latkes, the driedels and Santa.

I know all these issues get worked out in every family. Parents tell their children about Hanukkah/Christmas in the way that’s comfortable for them and at the age they feel it appropriate for their kids. I was just surprised it came up this way with Lila and at that age, because I suspected her parents hadn’t gotten to that yet.

When I asked Lila who told her that Santa comes on Hanukkah she said it was her nanny, who is Hindu.

Anyway, it’s 3 years later and all those issues are behind us. Lila and all my other grandchildren are thrilled with the 8-day Hanukkah celebration with its candles and chocolate coins and potato pancakes and gifts. And cookies too. We bake cookies at my house. Not to leave by the fireplace for Santa, but for us to all enjoy with a glass of milk.

Gingersnaps

• 1 cup vegetable shortening

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

• 3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Combine the shortening and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well combined. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well blended. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg and beat until the dough is well blended, smooth and uniform in color. Take off small pieces of dough and shape into small balls about one-inch in diameter. Roll the balls in the remaining sugar to coat the surface. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving an inch space between each ball. Bake cookies for about 12 minutes or until the cookies have spread and are flat and crispy, with lines on the surface. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes about 6 dozen

Tagged: gingersnaps, cookies, Hanukkah

Pratie Griddle Scones. You don't have to be Jewish to love latkes.

Thats what the old ad sort of says (okay, the ad had to do with Levy’s Jewish rye bread, but it’s the same sentiment).

And it’s true about latkes. Everyone loves at least one kind. And although most people think potato when they hear the word, latkes actually come in a variety of flavors and ingredients. The word latke just means pancake or fritter, so you could make them with shredded vegetables like zucchini or with sweet potatoes. Or you could make batter pancakes and mix it with cheese or corn kernels and fry them up to crispy goodness and those are latkes too.

I have an Irish friend who makes a kind of latke. She doesn’t call it that of course and, to tell the truth, she never thought of it as a dish for Hanukkah, but it is a pancake. It includes potato. It’s fried. And best of all it’s delicious. And guess what? It’s not difficult to make and doesn’t make a mess on your cooktop or counter like classic potato latkes do.

This “Irish latke” is called a Pratie Griddle Scone. It’s a delicious alternative to classic latkes during the 8 days of Hanukkah. It’s a good snack anytime. A good side dish at dinner and almost best of all, you can serve it for breakfast or brunch so it might be perfect if you’re having sleepover guests or brunch company at New Year’s time.

The recipe calls for one cup mashed potatoes. You can used leftover mashed potatoes or boil up a potato or two or use the insides of a baked potato.

Pratie Griddle Scones

• 1 cup packed mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup quick oats, approximately
• vegetable oil for frying

Place the mashed potatoes, butter, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix ingredients to blend them. Place the oats in a food processor and process to pulverize them almost to “flour.” Blend as much of the oats into the potato mixture as is needed to form a soft, pliable dough. Roll the dough into a circle about 1/4-inch thick. Prick the dough in several places with the tines of a fork. Cut the circle into 6 wedges. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Fry the scones for about 3 minutes per side or until they are golden brown an crispy.

Makes 6 pieces

French Fried Onions

Fry, fry! It’s the Hanukkah rallying cry.

Fry? Really? The cooking method we malign all year? 

Unhealthy. Messy. Smelly. The fumes attach to every strand of hair.

Really?

Yes, really. The Hanukkah kitchen is all about frying. Always has been. 

It’s also only once a year, so let’s give ourselves a break and indulge.

I like fried anything. But fried onions are among my favorites.

The best fried onions I ever tasted were at Hackney’s in Glenview, Illinois. They don’t cut the onions into rings. They just slice them. Thin. The onions come out looking like a loaf, all the strands packed together into a mountain of dark brown crispiness. You just keep picking at this stuff until it’s gone and what you think is enough for 2-3 people isn’t.

I don’t live anywhere near Hackney’s now so I haven’t been there in years. But if I ever get back to the Chicago area you can bet I will head straight for the place and order me some of those onions.

In the meantime, this recipe is pretty good too:

French Fried Onions

2 large Spanish Onions

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Peel the onions and cut them into thin slices. Place the slices in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Toss the onions to coat all of them. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, tossing the onions occasionally. Drain the onions in a colander. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper. Using a few pieces at a time, dredge the onions in the flour mixture, shake off the excess and place them in a single layer on a cake rack or cookie sheet. Repeat with all the slices. Heat about 2-inches vegetable oil in a large, deep pan to 360 degrees (a breadcrumb will sizzle immediately; or use a candy thermometer). Working with a few onion slices at a time, fry for about 3 minutes or until they are browned and crispy. Remove with tongs and place them on paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining slices. (Can keep the cooked ones warm in a preheated 200 degree oven.) Supposed to make 4-6 servings.

Latkes are Like the Pied Piper

One year I made 200 potato latkes for my brother and sister-in-law’s annual Hanukkah party. I think the smell of fried food lingered in my hair and nose for the rest of the 8-day holiday. The latkes were absolutely great. Crispy and delicious and the crowd polished them off in less than a half hour.

I don’t know whether i felt thrilled or upset. I mean, everyone loved the latkes and I was happy about that. But 200 latkes was an awful lot of work and then they were gone gone gone so quickly.

The year after that I made challah for their party (and that’s what I will do this year). But Hanukkah and latkes, well, that’s an old story. So the year I began the Hanukkah challah for Eileen and Jeff, I cooked almost 200 potato latkes with the children at the Chabad in Westport, Connecticut.

Each kid had a choice to mix some vegetable or crumbled cheese into the standard potato latke mixture and drop the batter into the pan. After I fried the pancakes to a crisp, each of them collected his or her personal latke, seemed thrilled by their handicraft and gobbled it up.

There were extras of course. Parents came, drawn in as if mesmerized by the Pied Piper, but this time they were following the perfume of latkes rather than the sound of a pipe. 

The choices of mix-ins that I gave the children included olives, corn, sun-dried tomatoes and chopped feta cheese.

But if you want to add a little something to the standard recipe, you can include a whole lot of other things too: chopped scallions, sauteed mushrooms, chopped celery, peas, diced beets, goat cheese, chopped herbs such as rosemary, grated Parmesan cheese. Latkes are like a never ending universe.

So here, once again, is my recipe for Classic Potato Latkes, with some suggestions for ingredients to put into the batter.

Potato Latkes

4 large Russet-type baking potatoes, peeled

1 large yellow onion

3 tablespoons matzo meal, bread crumbs or potato starch

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

vegetable oil for frying

Shred the potatoes and onion using the shredding disk of a food processor. Remove the vegetables to a bowl. Replace the shredding disk with the S-blade and put the vegetables back into the workbowl. Pulse until the potato shreds are much smaller and look “grated.” Using a handful or two at a time, place the mixture into a kitchen towel and squeeze as much liquid out as possible, then place the mixture in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining potato-onion mixture. Add the matzo meal and toss the ingredients. Add the eggs, salt, pepper and baking powder and mix to distribute the ingredients thoroughly. Heat about 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to make a matzo meal crumb sizzle, add some of the potato mixture to the pan, forming small pancakes, anywhere from 1-1/2-inch size to 3-inch size. Be sure to leave ample space between each latke so that they fry properly — if they are too close they will “steam” slightly and the latkes will be soggy. Be sure the vegetable oil remains hot — if the temperature gets too low the latkes may become soggy. Fry the latkes for 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy and browned. Drain on paper towels. Makes 24 small or 12 large pancakes

Variations: add 1/2 cup corn kernels or frozen peas, chopped olives or crumbled feta cheese, one cup shredded mozzarella or Fontina cheese, one chopped jalapeno pepper or 1/3 cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes, 1 cup sauteed sliced mushrooms or diced cooked beets, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary.