Latkas

There are few things that snap me back to childhood instantly like Latkes can. My Father is to blame for this. You see, when I was very young these little potato pancakes would bring me running to the kitchen quicker than the reflexes of GI Joe with the Kung Foo Grip. I don’t recall my Father ever telling me if these were handed down through my family, but I suspect that they have some roots. My Father grew up in Southern Cal. in a little town Called Coalinga. My Grandfather and Grandmother were humble people from a Jewish decent. Though they were not practicing Jews, there were many influences that made themselves evident in the cooking that my Father did time to time. I often regret not having spent more time with him learning more about that side of the family, but with most things in life, regret is fleeting and best not to ponder on it much.

Just recently I recreated this potato pancake for my two children. Of course, I didn’t tell them they were eating Latke’s because I wanted them to be a bit more exciting, in hopes they would at least try them. So, I named them “Ooy Gooey Pancake Chewy” and the kids were Jazzed to try them just because the name was fun. I suppose later in life I will explain that they are truly called latkas and give them a little history lesson about them.

Before my wife and I had children we observed Hanukkah every year in a nontraditional way. We did it to observe both my family heritage but also to remind us of our faith and why we believe in what we do. We haven’t had much success observing it over the past several years but soon we will pick up where we left off and teach our children that the “Ooy Gooey Pancake Chewy” actually has a different name and a meaning when we have them around Christmas each year.

I can't imagine observing Hanukkah without fried potato pancakes (latkas is Yiddish and livivot is the Hebrew term for these pancakes). We eat latkas on Hanukkah to remind us of the oil which miraculously burned for eight days when the Maccabees purified and rededicated the holy Temple in Jerusalem. But latkas are so tasty that they can be eaten the other 357 days of the year too.

Latkas:

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and finely grated

8 ounces onion, grated

6 ounces matzo meal

4 eggs

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

salt and freshly ground pepper

oil for frying

Prep:

To make the latkas, wash the grated potatoes in several changes of cold water to remove excess starch and dirt. Pat dry with a towel and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Season well.

Cooking:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, drop tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil. Flatten each dollop into a round small flat pancake. Fry on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until the pancake is a pale golden brown and perfectly crisp.

Aftermath:

Drain on absorbent paper and serve very hot.

 

This is a very simple recipe that won’t involve TONS of heartache shopping and 3rd degree burns up and down your arms. I don’t get overly fancy when I serve these simply because of there humble roots. I suppose you could served them on a plate stacked 4 high and put a little dob of sour cream, or cream freshe’ with a few sprigs of green onion as your finisher. Totally up to you!

Finito!

Biscotti Per Favore

 

There has never been a moment in my life were I sat complacent about preparing food or working on a recipe. I guess satisfaction is just a moment in time or to peek in a moment were I just can’t think of anything to improve the food. Not that there isn’t more ways to improve something with different techniques or skills. I watch people cook and prepare food and it never ceases to amaze me of the different infusions and flavors that appear that normally would not. It’s a fabulous experience. It is one I yearn for often. I think it’s would be compared to someone who is addicted to cigarettes. Not that I have even had that habit but I’ve seen how the smokers crave and yearn for that nicotine fix.

The holiday season is packed with moments of creations, infusions of old recipes with new twists. In fact, my wife Amy, this very moment is making her yearly Biscotti in the kitchen. Every year she adds something new to try along with making the traditional ones. Last year she did various versions with almonds. Toasted almonds, blanched almonds, raw almonds, salted almonds and the list goes on and on. Always progressing and experiencing with different flavors.

I try to be creative and new, but at the same time, I want the traditional flavors as well. It’s hard sometimes to want both, so I end up making two different batches of the same item with different flavors. It can be nauseating at the end. You know what they say about to much of something good. (Enter dry heaving)

This time of year is hard not to indulge. With all the different candies, breads, appetizer type creations showing up all around at work and at social functions. It’s hard not to want to experience them hoping to taste something new. I recall a few years ago I attended a little get together with friends at their new home. And they had a huge spread on top of what everyone else brought as a potluck. The different type of foods was outstanding to say the least. I ate southern foods, Caribbean food, South American influenced foods, and something quite new to me, Germanistic food. I won’t go into the German food, but I will say it’s not high on my list of food to influence my cooking in the near future or possibly ever. Just don’t like the stuff traditional or new.

This coming week I want to make something for my coworkers, but I’ve been stumped. Should I make Finger food, a hot or cold Entrée, A bucket load of Pastry? Oh what shall I make? Then it accorded to me, why not Biscotti? My wife is already making some and I haven’t made them myself for some years. Mainly because my wife discovered Biscotti five years ago and has kind of been her thing every year since. The great thing about Biscotti is you can be so incredibly diversitile with the recipe it should be illegal. They go with just about every beverage known to man. Well, maybe not the warmed blood drink that the African Masai drink, that would be kind of creepy. (Enter dry heaving again)

Biscotti

Ingredients:

¾ cup of whole Almonds. (You will Toast and chop your Almonds prior to making dough)

¼ lb of Butter.

¾ cup of Sugar.

2 medium Eggs.

2 ¼ cups of Flour.
1 ½ Tsp of Baking Powder.

¼ Tsp of Kosher Salt.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Toast the almonds until golden, then chop by hand into quarter-inch chunks.

Reduce oven heat to 325°F

The Dough:

Cream the butter until light, then add the sugar and beat until it is smooth and creamy.

Beat in the 2 eggs until the mixture is smooth.

Sift in the flour, baking powder then add salt; beat until just mixed.

Stir in the toasted almonds.

Prep That Dough:

On a floured board, divide the dough in half and roll each half into a long roll about 1-½ inches in diameter and about 10 inches long. Squish the rolls down a bit so they look more flat that rounded

Bake That Dough:
Set the rolls on a baking sheet a minimum of 3 inches apart, then bake in the top third of the oven for 25 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top.

Cut That Dough:

Allow the rolls to cool for 5 minutes, and then slice diagonally into half-inch thick slices.

Lay the slices flat on the baking sheet, and then return them to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Turn the slices over and bake for 10 minutes longer. This will make your Biscotti Rock hard as they are traditionally intended.

Cool That Dough:

Allow to cool on a rack.

In closeing, I hope you have fun in your kitchen after you make these because at this point you can just drizzle chocolate over the tops. You can dip them in half white and half dark chocolate. Maybe mist a little Rum. Whatever it is you decide to do, it’s tons of fun to just playing and experimenting.

Enjoy!

Finito!