לאַטקע aka Latkes for Hanukkah

קע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT LATKE

קע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע לאַטקע

Latkes, how do I love thee? Latkes are traditionally eaten by Jewish People during the festival of Hanukkah. The oil used for frying the Latkes is symbolic of the oil used in the Temple. The miracle is this...Eight days' worth of oil was needed, but they were only able to find one day's worth of oil. They lit the Menorah anyway, and miraculously the oil lasted eight days.

Making Latkes is very easy if you have eaten them before. By the way, it's worth mentioning that having two stereotypical Bubbes helps too. Growing up in Brooklyn and eating all the traditional Jewish foods is an excellent point of reference. So making Latkes, Knishes, etc., is a norm for me. Everyone has their style and unique way of eating and cooking, so this is my take on my upbringing. These methods and ingredients are not the end-all of Latkes, so if you have some ideas, please share them.

Jewish Festivals can be summed up this way...They tried to kill us, G-D saved us, we won, now let's eat.

This particular blog about Latkes is less about recipes and more about techniques. If you master some of these techniques, you can make the perfect Latke and walk away with countless recipes.

Let's talk about ingredients. You can use any starch you want. Personally, I love Russet Potatoes as the main starch. Russets have a high starch and low moisture content, which is vital when making traditional Latkes. Some other starches I like are sweet potato, Yams, and Parsnips. Great texture and taste differences when added together.

I also love adding to this combo, Zucchini Yellow Squash, or both together. Great flavor and texture combos, and spaghetti squash is fantastic too.

Carrots provide sweetness and color, and I just love them.

Beets added with yams or sweet potato are fantastic too.

G-d forbid we don't mention pumpkin too......

The stems of Broccoli are great with ginger and garlic too.

Scallions are a great addition to the Latke, which provides flavor and color.

To give more color, try Cilantro too. It provides color and a southwest flavor.

Onions, no matter which ones you choose, are essential. They are an absolute necessity for a great Latke!!!!!!

Other Flavors to consider

Salt and Pepper are obvious. Some other additions could be...Cumin, curry, Coriander, Chives, Tumeric, Chili peppers, Ginger, Garlic Etc, Etc.....there are so many different ingredients to consider. Just use your imagination; you will have countless recipes and Latke combos.

"""MODUS OPERANDI"""

Let's talk Starch- Use Russets, which have a high starch and low moisture content. This creates a crispy Latke.....Enough said. If you want to use other root veggies, that's great, but you need a percentage of Russet potatoes to hold everything together. It's kind of like glue. If you don't use a russet, just be extra diligent about making sure the Latke keeps its shape while you fry.

Gluten-Free- If you want to go gluten-free, don't use the Matzos listed below in the general recipe. Use Potato Starch, Corn Starch, Rice Flour, or specialty flours that are Gluten free. But if you can find Gluten free Matza, please use it!!!

Grating- Grate all your veggies, including the onions, using a box grater (large holes) or food processor shredding disk.

Grating the starch- Whether you use a box grater or food processor, make sure to grade long potato strands. If you use a box grater, take very long strokes to get the long strands. Personally, I love my food processor for this task. The long strands get tangled up and intertwine with each other, and this makes for a better Latke. While frying, the Latke will hold up better too.

Reduce the moisture- This is the technique I use to achieve the perfect Latke is the reduction of moisture while preserving the starch. As you grade the potatoes, let them drop into a large bowl. When you're finished grating, remove the potatoes from the water and squeeze them out over the bowl. Place grated potato into a large bowl fitted with a colander lined with a tea napkin or whatever towel you might have. Gather up the edges of the napkin and twist it into a ball, and squeeze out water over the colander (twist the napkin). Set potatoes aside. After about 5 minutes or so, the starch will the sunk to the bottom of the bowl and form a dense, white layer. Pour off water reserving the left behind starch. Pour all the grated potatoes and collected starch into a large bowl and get ready to make your Latkes.

Russet Potatoes placed in a linen napkin.

Linen napkin being squeezed. I used a large spoon for leverage. Twist and squeeze.

Place everything in a large bowl.

As you tilt up the bowl, you will see the white starch sticking to the bowl. Use a spatula to scrape in Latke mixture.

If you choose to use other veggies in addition to the Russets, you must extract the excess water using the same technique outlined above. Onions have lots and lots of water so make sure to remove as much as possible. If the veggies don't have a lot of starch, don't worry about dropping them into cold water first.

Baking Powder- the baking powder makes carbon dioxide bubbles and gives lightness to the Latke interior. If you desire a more traditional denser Latke, leave it out. If you decide to use baking powder, choose Double Acting. (Personally, I do not)

"Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as the double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to the dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven".

My Biggest Secret - To make the best Latke's, you need Schmaltz & Gribenes. Use it, Love it and appreciate this magical fat.

South-West-Asian-twist Latkes

2 Idaho baking potatoes

1 Sweet potato

1 Large onion

1 Large Zucchini
1 Large Carrot

1 Bunch of green onion sliced finely

1 Bunch of Cilantro chopped finely

4-7 Eggs Scrambled

3 to 4 Matzos pureed in a

food processor (size of rice or use Boxed Match meal)

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tsp of Curry powder or to taste

1 tsp Cumin or to taste

Optional- 3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp paprika

Optional 4-6 TBL of Schmaltz (this is an excellent addition)
Optional- Gribenes

Canola Oil for frying

Process the first five ingredients in a food processor fitted with a shredding blade or grade on a box grater. Use the above techniques outlined above to extract excess moisture. Keep accumulated starch at the bottom. Add the rest of the ingredients and adjust the seasoning to your personal taste. The mixture should be very wet. Adjust the recipe as needed. Before frying the whole batch up, fry a little bit in a frying pan and taste, and if necessary, adjust seasonings.

Note 1: the Matzos are used to absorb liquid and give texture. The Matzos also help with binding. Add more or less depending on the texture desired. You can also substitute the Matzo meal.

Note 2: Don't skimp on the oil!!! The oil used to fry your Latkes must come up 3/4 of the way up the Latke to cook correctly.

Secret- Use a large Ice cream scoop to measure out your Latke that way, they are all the same size.

Here are my suggestions for perfect Latkes. Latkes should be very wet; if not, add some more egg. Place a 2 to 3-inch ball in your hands and place it in hot oil, and push down with the back of a spatula to form a pancake. Brown Latkes evenly and do not turn prematurely because they will fall apart.

DRAIN ON RACK, PLEASE

Traditional Latkes are served with Applesauce and sour cream.

Serve Latkes for lunch. Top with Salmon, eggs, or whatever suits your fancy that day.

The topping is only limited to your imagination.

Charoset is an excellent option as a topping. Google recipes and make them as your Latke topping. Charoset is traditionally made with fruit, cinnamon, and sugar, with many variations in-between. Most contain some type of nut, but you can exclude this from your recipe.

Apple Topping

1 Apple or Pear peeled and diced.

1 small piece of ginger peeled and grated or chopped fine.

1 small Shallot minced

Sugar to taste or whatever sweetener you want.

Ground Cumin or Curry to taste.

Some Salt if need be.

Bring on the Sour Cream

Anything made with sour cream is excellent. You can add many things to sour cream to kick it up. Chives, green onion, etc., etc. Flavors can include salt, Pepper, cumin, curry, coriander, and cinnamon. All the fresh herbs you can throw at it.

Creme fraiche is another wonderful topping. Easy to make and serve.

1 cup of heavy whipping cream (pasteurized OK, avoid Ultra-pasteurized sterilized or anything with additives) and

1-2 Tbl of cultured buttermilk.

Heat on the stovetop to 85 degrees (instant-read thermometer). Place in a clean jar and close partially. I like using mason jars. Between 8-24 hours, it will have thickened a bit. Give it a stir or shake and refrigerate until ready to use. Add whatever herbs you want. Add some lemon juice to kick it up. Puree some herbs for a green color. Maybe add some Sun-dried Tomatoes for color and taste. Endless possibles.

Cheese- Add cheese for a cheesy Latke

Hot- Harissa is a great way to add spice and heat. Top with fruit like pomegranates or whatever you want.

Chutneys- Another great option too. Google some recipes and modify to your taste.

Cowboy Sour-Cream

32 oz of Sour-Cream (Mexican Sour-Cream is a great option too)
3/4 cup of Margarita Mix
1 Tbl of Tequila (or more)
1/2 tsp of Cayenne or Chipotle Pepper or to taste
1 Tsp Chile Powder
1-2 Tsp of salt or to taste
1 Tsp of Black Pepper
1 Tbl plus 1 tsp of Cumin Powder
1 Tsp of Garlic Powder or Granulated
1 Tbl of sugar
Small Handful of Chopped Cilantro and Green Onion