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| Apple Cider Latke from She Knows |
“It is very frustrating not to be understood in this world. If you say one thing and keep being told that you mean something else, it can make you want to scream. But somewhere in the world there is a place for all of us, whether you are an electric form of decoration, peppermint-scented sweet, a source of timber, or a potato pancake.”
Growing up my family would be invited to celebrate Hanukkah each year with close friends. The father was one of the most fabulous chefs and each year he and my mother would get together in the kitchen and make amazing food for us to enjoy together at the table.
My favorite thing that I looked forward to each year was the latke. I would look forward to making them, frying them and eating them. Each year they would be a little different from the year before, never once repeated and always equally as good. Sometime they would be made with sweet potatoes, other times they would have carrots or zucchini, one year they even had cranberries in them!
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| Smoked Salmon with Sour Cream and Smoked Salmon |
Did you know that latkes are fried to celebrate the Miracle of Oil?
This celebration commemorates the time when a small guerilla (surprise attacks) army of Jews defeated the Syrian king Antiochus IV (c. 215-164 B.C.), who had taken over Jerusalem and tried to destroy Judaism. Antiochus IV filled the Jewish temple with Syrian idols (statues or images of gods). After the Jews, led by Judas Maccabee, recaptured Jerusalem, they reclaimed their temple. When they wanted to light their holy lamps, they found only one vial of oil. That this small amount of oil kept the lamps burning for eight days was declared a miracle. During the eight days of Hanukkah (also spelled Hannuka or Chanukah), Jews light candles in a menorah (candle holder with places for nine candles), exchange small gifts, and make donations to the poor. The ninth candle on the menorah is called the shammash, and it is used for lighting the other eight candles.
Here is the basic recipe that has been taught to me and I use to create the best base for building. It can be multiplied and divided to fit your needs or guest count. You can also add in other vegetables like beets, celery root, turnips or squash and adjust the amount of potatoes to fit the recipe.
1 lb of Potatoes
2 Carrot
1 onion
1 Egg
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 tbs of Flour
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1/4 cup of Vegetable Oil for frying
Cast Iron Skillet
Using a shredding plate or grater shred the potatoes, carrot and onion separately.
Line a bowl with a tea towel or cheese cloth. Pour the potatoes over the cloth and fill with cold water just until the potatoes are covered. Let sit for 30 minutes. *Soak the potatoes in a mixture of Apple Cider and water for a different flavor!
After 30 minutes add the onion and carrots over the potato. Lift the cloth out of the bowl straining the water out of the vegetables. Twist the ends of the cloth wringing out the water from the vegetables and set aside.
Add the vegetables back to the bowl with the egg, flour, baking powder and salt & pepper. Combine all the ingredients until they are covered evenly.
Heat the oil over medium to high heat to just before smoking, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a tablespoon scoop the latke mixture into the frying pan and flatten with a slotted spatula. Cook until the latke becomes brown and crisp, about five minutes, then flip and repeat.
Once the latkes are golden brown and crisp transfer the to a cookie sheet with a mesh drying rack in the oven at 200 degrees. This will keep them warm and also allow for the excess oil to drain off.
Add more oil to the pan when need but, make sure it comes up to temp before adding the mixture or the latkes will become soggy.
Traditionally latkes are served with sour cream, apple sauce and smoked salmon. But, you can dress them up with poached eggs, greek yogurt, creme fraiche , mascapone, caviar, shaved radish, scallions, or with a burger!
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