Chanukah Recipes

Because tonight is the first night of Chanukah, here is my recipe for potato latkes, English style:


Take out of your root cellar ONE LARGE ONION and TWO MEDIUM POTATOES (red-skinned is best but any will do).

Peel and cut the onion into large pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor.  Using the metal cutting blade, pulse the processor to chop the onion into pieces that resemble cooked rice, or slightly larger.  Be careful not to overprocess because you don't want to have a wet mush.  Scrape all the onion into a glass mixing bowl.

Scrub the potatoes and peel off any blemished skin.  Leave the remainder of the skin on and cut the potatoes into eighths.  Place in the food processor bowl and pulse as for onions, again being careful not to overprocess.  Mix with the onions in the glass bowl.

The onion and potato should be in small dryish pieces like rice.

Sprinkle the mixture with one teaspoon of GROUND SEA SALT and a few grinds of BLACK PEPPER, to taste.

Beat ONE EGG and add to the mixture.

Add one half cup of MATZO MEAL and mix well.

Refrigerate for an hour.

Heat CANOLA OIL in the bottom of a heavy frying pan.  With moistened hands, form patties, no more than one half inch thick, with the latke mixture and fry gently in the hot oil, turning to brown both sides.  Cook slowly to make sure the insides of the latkes are cooked.  Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

In true English style, serve latkes with MALT VINEGAR and SALT.  Don't worry about your blood pressure - it's just once a year!  The vinegar is a great antidote to the grease and is why we Brits use it with our fish and chips (chips are fries, btw - not those thin things that come in puffy bags, we call those crisps).

Latkes are MUCH better this way than sweet with sour cream and applesauce.  But you can have them that way, if you insist! 


Here's my recipe for a wonderful Pumpkin Bisque I make at this time of year:

Olive Oil
1 small pumpkin, quartered and cooked in the microwave, 2 pieces at a time for about 6 minutes until tender.
1 large Onion, chopped
1 medium to large potato, scrubbed and diced
l large carrot scrubbed and sliced or chopped
l celery stalk and leaves if you have them, chopped
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of dried oregano

          (I always have these vegetables and herbs in my winter storage that I've grown.  If you are        
           buying them, please look for organic produce whenever possible)
4 cups water
28 oz can of diced tomatoes (I usually have frozen roasted tomatoes from the summer garden but purchased cans are ok if they are organic)
one half cup Braggs Amino Acids
cumin seeds
turmeric
paprika
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and saute the onion, potato, carrot, celery and garlic for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.  Sprinkle the herbs and spices over vegetable mixture and stir well.  Continue to cook and stir for a few more minutes to release the flavor of the seasonings.

Add the water, tomatoes, and the Braggs Amino Acids (available in natural food stores). Bring to a boil and add the pumpkin that has been scooped out of the skin.  Add about one quarter cup of the pumpkin seeds to the pot, as well.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes over a low heat, stirring.

In the meantime, put the remaining pumpkin seeds in an oven-proof baking dish and roast at 350 degrees until they are completely dry and golden brown.  Use a metal spatula to loosen from the bottom of the dish and when cool, break apart with your hands and store in a glass jar.

Allow to cool and then puree in batches in a blender.  An immersion blender does not work well for this because the seeds do not get pureed unless processed in a conventional blender.

Reheat and serve piping hot with a few roasted seeds on the top as a garnish.


I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW YOU LIKE THESE RECIPES!