Hanukkah
comes early this year—December 2-10. Sometimes the holiday comes later in the
month and coincides with Christmas. One of my earliest memories growing up in
Miami was driving around the city to look at the beautiful display of Christmas
lights.
The Hanukkah
tradition is to light the menorah, a
9-candle ceremonial lamp with space for eight candles, representing one for
each night of the holiday, and one candle to light the rest. Hanukkah is a
festive holiday. Families sing songs, play a game called dreidel—a spinning top—
and exchange gifts.
When
my children were younger, we would give them one gift each night. Now that they’re grown and out of the house,
we typically give or send them one big gift. In the old days, I remember my
grandparents lining up the grandchildren and handing out a dollar each. Now the money comes in the form of chocolate
coins you can buy at the grocery store.
Another favorite
Hanukkah memory is eating the traditional potato pancakes or latkes. You don’t have to be Jewish to
enjoy potato latkes. My sister Elaine makes great latkes. They require a lot of
effort, but when done right, they are crispy and delicious. My mother made
great latkes when we were growing up. Today, I just buy them out of a box in
the grocery freezer section. They’re not nearly as good. It is traditional to
top the latkes with a little sour cream and some applesauce. I prefer
applesauce and I also like mine sprinkled with sugar.
This year, I
may try something different. My new book, The
Saffron Conspiracy: A Novel, will be released Jan. 7, 2019, and is
available for pre-order now at The Wild Rose Press. https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6381-the-saffron-conspiracy-a-novel.html.
So maybe a pinch of saffron could be added to the batter? It couldn’t hurt.
Here is my
sister’s recipe and a picture of her potato pancakes. Wishing you all a happy
holiday season. Enjoy!
Potato Latkes
Ingredients:
1 onion
4-5 Idaho potatoes
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup matzoh meal
Salt: 1 teaspoon, then sprinkle more on as they fry
Pepper, freshly ground, several twists
Cheesecloth
Directions:
Mix the salt, pepper and baking powder together with the
matzoh meal.
Peel the potatoes and drop them right away into a large bowl
of icy water.
Chop onion: Use a food processor. Decide how fine to chop.
Do not drain liquid from the onion.
In a large bowl, crack the eggs and beat (not too much).
Heat large skillets: Cast iron or any good pan. Use more
than one to speed up the cooking. Start low, and when almost ready with the
completed mixture, raise the heat. During frying, constantly monitor the heat
level, starting on medium high, high, then adding the mixture, then turning
down to about medium. Then back up to medium high with the next batch, and so
on.
Cut the potatoes lengthwise, and in a food processor, using
the shred attachment, shred a few at a time. Then, take out the shredded
potatoes into a big bowl, put the chop attachment on and put the shredded
potatoes back into the processor, then give just a few pulses (5-10), until a
nice chopped consistency (not too big, but not too finely chopped, either).
Then put the potatoes into a cheesecloth (in the sink), and
squeeze as much liquid starch as you can! Then put the squeezed potatoes right
into the eggs and mix around with your hands to absorb the potato mixture.
Then repeat this process until all the potatoes are in the egg
mixture.
Add the onions and dry mixture to the egg and potato
mixture, and mix: Use your hands.
Add oil to the fry pan(s) and wait until the oil is hot (but
not burning). Add mixture by tablespoons, not too thick. Fry in hot oil. Turn
when golden Keep adding oil to pan before each new batch. The more oil, the
better it tastes. The first batch never
tastes as good as the rest.
By Marilyn Baron
11 comments:
Although we aren’t Jewish, my mom made these all the time when I was growing up. I turn, I made them for my own children. Delicious! In the summer I will also substitute shredded zucchini for the potato and enjoy that too. Thanks for the post!
Sounds delicious! Although we had a form of something we called 'potato pancakes' it was like this. My mom made them with mashed potatoes, eggs, milk, and seasoning. So it was probably just a way to use leftovers :)
That should say..."it was not like this."
We, too, aren't Jewish, but my mother made the best potato pancakes, but unlike Barbara, my mother shredded raw potatoes. My husband couldn't get enough of them. Sadly, I never got her recipe. Here's hoping you have a happy Hanukkah season.
Oh boy I can’t wait to try the potato pancake recipe! Enjoyed your post. Thanks so much for sharing!
These look delicious, Marilyn! Thanks for sharing your memories and recipe!
Anything with potatoes is yummy! Can't wait to see for myself. Thanks for sharing your traditions and recipe!
What a great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I love learning about the traditions we treasure in our hearts and family. Thanks for the recipe.
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I'm not Jewish but I loved reading about your different traditions. Your latke recipe sounds exceptional. I like mine with sour cream. Enjoy the season!
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