Brisket for Pesach and Beyond

Ingredients                                                               Difficulty Rating - easy to medium

·       1 5-6 lb brisket (first or 2^nd cut is fine, it should have about ¼ inch of fat to keep it from drying out, more than that would be too fatty )

·       About 2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

·       4 cups of beef broth (or a full bodied red wine if you prefer, or half of one, half of the other)

·       8 carrots – 4 whole and 4 peeled and cut into 2” pieces

·       4 medium potatoes – peeled and cut into 2” pieces

·       6 medium onions – 3 whole and 3 peeled and sliced

·       5 whole cloves of garlic - peeled

·       2 whole bay leaves (Turkish)

·       1/2 teaspoon thyme

·       Kosher salt

·       Freshly ground black Pepper

·       ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, cayenne isn't something you think about on Pesach, but it's always good to step it up a notch)

·       Garlic powder (when you make a rub, powder is just easier)

·       1 Tablespoon potato starch (if you choose to thicken the gravy.

Preparation:

Rub prep:

Make a rub of 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Brisket prep:

Pat brisket dry with paper towel – rub all over with the salt/pepper/garlic rub - put it back in the refrigerator for an hour or more to give the flavors a chance to sink in.

Put the Dutch oven or big casserole on the stove with the oil and a medium flame (don’t use olive oil, it burns too quickly).

When the pot is really hot (but before the oil is burning) put the meat in to brown – first do it fat side down – about 5 minutes

Turn it with the

tongs and brown the other side for about 5 minutes

Remove it from the heat, and lift the meat with tongs and scrape the bottom of the frying pan to loosen whatever stuck to the bottom

Put the meat back in the pan

Add the whole carrots, garlic cloves, thyme, bay leaves and whole onions (if the onions  & carrots don't fit, cut them in half)

Add enough broth (I prefer a full bodied red wine, but it’s up to you) to cover about 3/4 of the brisket

Cover pan tightly

Check the brisket about every 45 minutes to make sure the liquid level covers about 3/4 of it, if not, add more

Braise (cook in liquid) for about 2 hours The meat should still be fairly stiff – remove the meat using tongs

Carefully slice across the grain (make the slices about ¼” thick or less if you'd like)    

Using a slotted spoon, remove the veggies that have been cooking with the meat. 

Return the sliced meet to the pot

Add the remaining peeled and sliced carrots, potatoes and onions - if more liquid is needed, add it.

Cook for another hour – check occasionally to see if more liquid is needed

If it is not super tender when you touch it with a fork, cook it more.  It doesn't need to be falling apart, but it needs to be tender.

Add more salt if needed.

Let it cool then take the brisket out of the Dutch Oven and either wrap it in aluminum foil or put it in something smaller - refrigerate over night – covered.

Pour the juices and veggies into a container and refrigerate.

About 2 hours before you serve it, take the brisket and the juices out of the refrigerator.  Let the brisket sit at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Scrape the top layer of fat off the juices as soon as you take it out of the refrigerator.

Note: Some people like to put the veggies and the juice in a blender to make a gravy.  We don't do that in my family, it's up to you.  

Pour the liquid and veggies into a saucepan and heat it. If you think there isn't enough liquid add some more now. Don't bring it to a boil, just make it hot.

Return the meat to the Dutch oven or a large oven proof skillet, pour the juice and veggies over it.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and reheat the brisket in the liquid until it is warm (about 1/2 hour). 

Note: if you choose to thicken the gravy, the time to do it is right after you reheat everything and remove the meat. Put the Dutch oven on the stove top on medium heat.  First you need a slurry.  I make the slurry in a small jar, add 1 Tablespoon of Potato Starch and 1/4 cup of water or red wine.  Put the top on the lid and shake it up until it's smooth.  Pour a small amount of the slurry into the pot and stir, it will start to thicken immediately.  If needed, add more, but don't overdo it.

When you serve it, take the meat out and put it on a platter and pour the liquid & veggies over the meat or if your Dutch oven is nice enough, service it family style out of the same pot in which it was cooked.

Polenta - the almost no stir method

Ingredients:                                                                                      Difficulty Rating:  Easy
3 cups water
1 teaspoon regular (table) salt
1 'pinch' bakinig powder
3/4 cups course Stone Ground corn meal
1 Tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
About 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano - whichever is your favorite.

In a medium size heavy pot bring the water to a boil - put the heat at medium low
Add the salt and baking powder and stream in the corn meal slowly while stirring and keep stirring so lumps won't form - be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the pot whiling you're stirring to it doesn't stick and burn.
Keep stirring for about 2 minutes, then lower the heat to it's lowest setting, stir again and cover.

After about 5 minutes, uncover and stir it again and scrape the sides and bottom again.
Then cover it and let it cook for about 25 minutes, still with a very low flame.  We're not looking for corn meal mush here, so there should be a little resistance when you taste it, a little al dente

Remember that when you cook polenta, it will be lose until it starts cooling

Remove it from the heat, stir in the olive oil, butter, pepper and cheese, and recover.  Let it stand for about 5 minutes and serve with Kosher salt, more grate parmigiano or pecorino, and freshly ground pepper so people can adjust it to their tastes.

Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans)

Ingredients:                                                                    Difficulty Rating: Easy

2 T olive Oil

• 5-6 cloves fresh garlic - chopped
• 2 carrots - chopped
• 2 T water
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 3 cups Veggie Broth (or Beef or Chicken, depending on your tastes and preferences)
• 2 cans of whole Italian Tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano)
• 1/2 pound pasta (I prefer a whole grain pasta pasta integrale to stand up to this soup, it adds a nutty flavor)
• 1 can of Cannellini beans, well rinsed
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Plenty of Parmigianno Reggiano - grated
• Either microwave or steam the carrots for about 4 minutes - just enough to take away the crunch, but not to make them mushy

In a large soup pot saute the diced onions, garlic and crushed red pepper in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil until they are translucent, be careful not to burn them.  Note: when you saute garlic and onions in a soup pot try to keep them out of the center of the pot.  The bottom of soup pots are often raised in the center, so keep the garlic and onions around the outside of the pot to saute.

Add the tomatoes and the broth.

 

Use a tomato squisher to squish the tomatoes.  I prefer not to put them in the blender  Squishing them gives the soup extra substance. 

 

Cover and bring it to a boil. 

Lower the heat, keep the cover on partially - stir often.

Continue simmering for about 25 minutes

While simmering, bring another 2/3 filled water to a boil.

When the water for the pasta boils, add the pasta and cook for less time than you would normally cook it.

That is, cook it even less than you would for al dente, because it will continue cooking in the soup. It must be firm.

Drain the pasta when its done and add a little sauce to it so the pasta doesn't stick together.

After the soup cooks for about 25 minutes add the rinsed beans and the pasta.

Continue simmering for about 5 minutes

Add Parmigiano Reggiano.

Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve in big soup bowls with a crusty Italian bread, preferably pane integrale, whole grain. And don't forget to pass extra Parmigiano Reggiano around the table.

Note: The pasta will soak up most of the soup in a few hours, so when you serve it the next day you can either serve it as a pasta dish, not a soup, or you can add more broth to bring back the soupiness.

Spaghettata di Mezzanotte (aglio olio e peperoncino)! Midnight Spaghetti Party!

Ingredients                                                                             Difficulty Rating = Easy

·         A big pot half full of boiling water (A pot that is big enough to hold the pasta without breaking it in half.  It doesn’t have to be a giant pot, as you put the pasta in the boiling water, you push it down and that’s fine)

·         1 pound (approximately ½ kilo) of spaghetti

·         Sauté pan – big enough to hold the pasta after it is cooked.

·         Olive Oil – about ½ cup, plus more for later

·         5 or 6 good sized cloves of garlic (if your garlic cloves are small, add a few more or if you're crazy for garlic, add more)

·         1 ½ teaspoons crushed dried red pepper flakes (peperoncino) – if the flakes look brown, the taste is dead or dying, so make sure the flakes are nice and red.  (If you love HOT, add more - but consider your guests).

·         Salt & black pepper

·         Parmigiano-Reggiano – if you can get one big piece and each take what you want with a grater,that is good.

When it comes to a boil, add the spaghetti, stir and let it come to a boil again.  The pasta should be cooked about 6-8 minutes because you want it al dente – firm to the bite, not mushy.

Stir it after you put it in.

While the pasta is cooking:

Chop up the garlic into small pieces – It doesn’t have to be super small. Everyone has different opionions about this.  Marcella doesn't chop them at all, she justs throws them into the oil, lets them cook and then takes them out.  There's plenty of garlic flavor there, but I prefer them chopped pretty well.

Pour about ½ cup Olive Oil into a large sauté pan and put it over medium heat.  Add the garlic & pepperoncino and sauté until garlic is translucent, and turn off the heat. The garlic should get a little golden, but not burnt. 

When the spaghetti is al dente(you can usually tell when the boiling spaghetti forms a circle in the pot as it boils- taste it.  It should be firm, not hard, not soft, but firm) – put the frying pan back on the heat. By the way, 'al dente' means 'to the tooth', that is, when you bite it the pasta shouldn't be mushy, it should be firm enough for to bite it.

Put the pasta into the sauté pan and mix it with the garlic and pepperoncino.   Do not pour out the water that the pasta cooked in yet.



So many types of pepper.
Most are great tasting adventures!

I like to add about ½ cup of the cooking water  to the pasta and mix it again – let it cook just a little.  If it is too dry, add ¼ cup more water and try again. You do not want it like a soup – but you don’t want it super dry either.  When you taste the spaghetti, it should be firm, you should taste the oil and garlic and some heat from the pepperoncino – and it should be moist – it should not be swimming in oil or only have the taste of garlic.  It should just be delicious.

 

Serve with the cheese – as much cheese as you want.  Also put the olive oil on the table, people often want some more. And if you're anything like my friend Marcella, put the peperoncino on the table too.  She can't get enough! 

Cannellini Bean & Tomato Salad and Garlic Shrimp Risotto - An Unplanned and Delicious Dinner Menu

Salad for 4                                                                    Difficulty Rating - Easy

Ingredients

• Arugula
• grape tomatoes
• 1/2 can cannellini beans (or more if you like)
• 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or spray with your Misto
• Juice & zest  from Meyer Lemon if available, if not use a regular small to medium lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt to taste
• Cayenne pepper to taste

Rinse and dry arugula either using a salad spinner or use paper towels (remember, don't believe it when it says 'prewashed')

Rinse tomatoes and cut in half

Rinse Cannellini beans very well

Spread arugula over a serving plate

Add the tomatoes and beans on the top - arranged as you wish

Don't add the oil mixutre until you are ready to serve the salad

Whisk together 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and zest, mustard, cayenne and kosher salt. and pour over the salad.

Garlic Shrimp and Risotto for 4
Preheat to 425

Ingredients:

•  6-8 shrimp per person
• about 8 medium size garlic cloves, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon Spanish Smoked paprika (if you don't have this it's OK, but it is smokey and delicious)
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian Sweet paprika
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Red Crushed Pepper (depending on the amount of heat you like)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt - or to taste
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 2 cups water
• Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese - about 1/2 cup, depending on taste, you can always put some on the table and let your guests serve themselves.
• As a special treat during Meyer Lemon season, I add the grated zest and the juice from a Meyer Lemon. If you want to try this and Meyer Lemons aren't in season, try it it with regular lemons.It's an optional addition to this recipe.

If you have frozen shrimp, they don't need to be fully defrosted.  Either defrost them in the refrigerator or, if you don't have time, defrost them in the microwave, at a low power - you don't want them to cook.  Take them out of the bag, put them in a bowl and every couple of minutes toss them to bring the bottom shrimp to the top.  When they are slightly defrosted, they are done. Pour out the water from the defrosting, but don't rinse the shrimp.

Have a pan (or cassarole) that is large enough to lay out the shrimp, without layering them.
Put the shrimp in the pan or cassarole
Dice the garlic
Add garlic, both paprikas, Kosher salt, pepper flakes and olive oil to the shrimp.  Mix it around so the shrimp of covered
Cut the butter into small pieces and place on top

Cook for about 5-8 minutes depending on the number of shrimp you're cooking.  It should not be cooked all the way through.  If the cooking rack is very close to the heat, cook less - keep an eye on it.
Use a spatula and turn the shrimp and cook for another 3 minutes.

Remove from the oven.
Remove the shrimp from the pan, leaving all the garlic and oil. The shrimp can finish cooking in the rice.  The last thing you want is chewy shrimp, so don't overcook.

Put the garlic and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
Add the rice and stir it.  Let it cook for about 2 minutes stirring intermittently.
Add 1/2 cup water and stir.
When the water is soaked into the rice, add another half cup of water, stirring occassionally.
Risotto should be creamy, so keep adding water.

If you've used all two cups, taste the rice, if it's hard, add a little more water.
As soon as the rice is done, lower the heat, add the shrimp and the parmigiano (and the lemon if you decide to use it).  Stir and serve.

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Chinese Tea Egg - Happy Lunar New Year!

Ingredients:                         Difficulty Rating - Easy, but be careful peeling the shell from the egg

• Hard boiled eggs (as many as you want)
• 1 cup Black tea - brewed
• 1/4 cup Soy sauce (I cheated and used low sodium, I just can't do the full sodium soy sauce, even for a salt lover like me, that is way too much)
• 2 Star Anise - broken
• a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• Some orange rind, and you can squeeze in some juice too (optional)

The optional ingredients - I saw cinnamon and orange rind in various recipes for Tea Eggs, but my friend Xixi Chen never heard of using either in Tea Eggs. I also saw a teaspoon of 5 Spice Powder.  I'm trying it every way and deciding what I like best.   Also, Xixi's mom's hint is to make sure you put the eggs in cold water after the 1st boil so it is easier to peel the shell from the egg after the second boil.  I had a really hard time peeling the shell from the egg and ruined 2 of the 3 I made - but I'll get better.

Put cold water in a sauce pan with the eggs.  Make sure the eggs are covered by at least 1/2 inch of water.
Cover the sauce pan and bring it to a big, rolling boil.
Take the sauce pan off the heat, leave it covered and let it stand for about 10-12 minutes
The eggs should be hard boiled, but not too hard boiled, unless that's how you like it.
I like the eggs to be hard boiled but with moisture left in the yolk.

Remove the eggs from the sauce pan but don't dump out the water. Save it.
Run the eggs under cold water this is a tip from my friend Xixi Chen.  Her mom said that it helps make the shell break away from the egg easily.

Take the eggs and tap each one gently with the back of a spoon to make a marble-like series of cracks in the shell.  If your cracks don't turn out perfect, that's fine, it will just be a different design.  You can also try rolling the egg around in your hands if you're not getting the look that you want.

Bring the water in the sauce pan back to a boil.  Add the brewed black tea, the soy sauce, the cinnamon, the broken star anise and then add the eggs.

Some people told me to bring them to a low boil or simmer and let them simmer for about 2 hours. Others said to let them in overnight. Since Xixi told me to do the 2nd boil, I did it her way.

When they're done, gently peel the shell and there you have your marbled Tea Egg.  Taste it and smile.

Easy, Sweet, Delicious, Little Roasted Sweet Peppers

Preheat 400                                                                                         Difficulty rating - Easy

Ingredients

• Small, sweet peppers    
• Kosher salt
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. 

Rinse peppers (remember, even if the package says prewashed don't believe it - rinse them well)

Put all the peppers on the baking pan

Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sprinkle with Kosher salt

Spread the peppers out so they aren't touching.

Roast on first side for 12-15  minutes

Turn the peppers over with a spatula and roast for another 12-15 minutes.

The peppers should be soft and the skins should be a little browned - I like them more than a little brown, that's a matter of personal taste.

Then the most important part - just pop 'em in your mouth - Delicious!  Oh, and no, you don't have to peel the skin, just eat them as they are.  So easy!

Sopa de Milagros (Spanish Garlic Soup of Miracles)

Ingredients:                                                                                     Difficulty Rating - Easy

• 8 medium to large  (not giant) cloves of garlic - leave one whole, dice the rest
• Olive oil - 1 Tablespoon to saute the garlic, some more to sprinkle or spray on bread (I often use my Misto to spray the bottom of the pot with olive oil when I add the Tablespoon of olive oil)
• about 3 quarts chicken stock (I use veggie stock)
• Spanish paprika - optional.  This is smokey and much more flavorful than a regular grocery store paprika.  And it is much different than sweet Hungarian paprika, so the first time you use it, use it sparingly.  If you love it, or hate it, you can use it or not)
• 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper - optional, and its worth it
• 1 piece of toasted or grilled Italian, French or Spanish bread
• 1 egg per person

Peel the garlic cloves, keep one aside and dice the rest

Add olive oil to soup pot

Add the diced garlic , crushed red pepper and  pinch of Kosher salt

Sauté at low heat to get the garlic golden but not burnt.

Add chicken (or veggie) stock

Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slice bread into about ½ inch slices.

Toast till golden brown

Rub bread with the remaining garlic clove

drizzle with a little (very little) olive oil

Place in each soup bowl

When you are ready to eat put a ladle full of soup around each piece of toasted bread

Poach 1 egg per person in the soup, or you can put a touch of oil on the inside of a ladle and crack one egg into the ladle.  Lower into the pot of soup and stir into a circle. 

Gently drop the egg into the soup bowl

add more soup and serve with the remainder of the toasted bread.

 You might want to toast some extra bread.  People will probably want to do some dunking.

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

Preheat oven to 350         Difficulty Rating = Easy 

Put waxed paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet and cover lightly with olive oil.

Ingredients: 

 1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus some to prep the cookie sheets
1 egg
Zest from 2 Meyer lemons
Juice from 2 Meyer lemons (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt - not table or fine salt.  Use either Kosher or a sea salt that's not overly chunky.
1/4 teaspoon dried sage or 1/2 teaspoon fresh sage well chopped

Note, if you can't get Meyer lemons, use regular lemons.

Preparation:
In a large bowl whisk together the Olive Oil, Egg, zest and juice from Meyer Lemon and sugar.  I did it in a counter top mixer with a whisk attachment.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sage, and add to olive oil mixture, scraping the sides until it all holds together. It shouldn't be too wet.


Scoop balls using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, and squish gently with bottom of olive oil treated glass

After it's all mixed together, scoop out about 1 Tablespoon at a time (I use a 1 T ice cream scoop to make m all the same size) and put each ball on the cookie sheet leaving about 2 inches between each one.

 

When you're done placing them, take a water glass, smear olive oil on the bottom and press each cooking ball gently to form circles. 

Bake for about 13 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Let them sit for a few minutes, then use a thin spatula to remove and place on a rack to cool and get crunchy.

They have exactly the citrus savor taste I was looking for with just a tiny reminder of Olive Oil Tortas from Seville, Spain.

Monday January 9, 2012 - I brought some to work, just to see if they were as good as I thought.  Notice that I'm speaking in the past tense.  Everyone love them and came back for seconds and thirds! YAY!

Blackened Shrimp and Arugula Salad

   Ingredients:                                                                Difficulty Rating - Easy

• 8 shrimp per person
• Blackening seasoning - I only use Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish seasoning.  I used to make my own, but this is really good.
• Arugula
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms - sliced
• Carrots - sliced thin
• Clementine (optional)
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Cayenne to taste
• White wine vinegar
• Olive oil in a sprayer

I buy size 26-30. That's how many shrimp you get per pound. Peel and devein them. Note that if you buy frozen shrimp, buy them raw and deveined.  And don't run them under water.  Either defrost them in the refrigerator or defrost them on low power in the microwave for a very short time, toss them around and defrost again for a very short time if necessary.  Don't defrost all the way.

Rinse the arugula and either spin dry or dry with paper towels.  Don't believe them when your packaged arugula says prewashed. Clean it!
Clean and dry the mushrooms.  I usually use a wet paper towel to clean off the mushrooms so they don't get too wet.
Slice the tomatoes
Spread the arugula on a plate. 
Sprinkle the veggies on the arugula. 
And, if you feel like it, add some clementine sections.  They're delicious right now and they really add some sparkle to your salad.
Use your misto to spray some olive oil on the salad and just a small amount of a light white wine vinegar.  Sprinkle some Kosher Salt and cayenne

Spray some oil on the griddle or use about 1 teaspoon oil.  Put the griddle on a medium to high heat. 

Put the shrimp in a plate or bowl.  Sprinkle some of the Blackening Seasoning on the shrimp. Toss the shrimp to coat it with the seasoning.  When the griddle is not put the shrimp on and make sure they aren't touching so they can cook evenly. 

Cook side 1 for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  Turn them and cook for about 45 seconds to 1 minute.  DON'T OVER COOK THE SHRIMP!  Why do so many people over cook shrimp? 

Place the shrimp on the salad plate. Beautiful.  Delicious.

Sweet and Smokey Grilled Salmon and Portobello Salad

Ingredients:                                        

• Veri, veri Teriyaki
• Salmon fillet - 1/4 lb per person
• Portobello mushroom - 1 per person
• Olive oil (I prefer the spray)
• Red Leaf or Boston Lettuce - a handful per person
• Tomato - try a Kumato, brown tomato - about 1/2 per person
• White wine vinegar
• Chipotle pepper

Preparation:

Tear the lettuce and rinse well                                

Dry using a salad spinner or spread it on

   paper towels to make sure it is dry.

Spread it on a large plate or bowl.

Wash and cut tomatoes
 

 

Spray the grill with olive oil or use 1 teaspoon of oil and spread around the grill

Heat a grill on the stove over medium heat

Rinse the portobello and clean with a vegetable brush - dry with a paper towel

Cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick

Drizzle some Veri, Veri Teriyaki over the slices - use your hands to rub it all over the mushrooms.

Place the slices on the hot grill so they don't touch each other.



Add the salmon on the grill, skin side down for about 1 minute

Remove it from the grill.

Use a knife to scrape the skin off the salmon.  It should slip right off.



Scraping the skin off the salmon

If you are making a lunch or dinner salad for one, you can add the salmon after one side of the portobellos are cooked - they should be slightly browned.  If you are making a larger salad, turn cook the portobellos first.



Add the salmon and cook for no more than 2 minutes per side so it will be rare inside. There should be some grill marks on the salmon when you turn it.



Grill Salmon and Portobello Mushrooms

Cook for about 2 minutes on the other side and remove from heat.

Place the portobello slices next to each other on top of the lettuce and place the salmon on top of the mushroom slices to the mushrooms show around the salmon.

Place the tomatoes around the outside of the salmon and mushrooms.

Sprinkle with White Wine Vinegar and Kosher Salt

Add a dash of Chipotle - not too much, salmon is delicate and you don't want it overly smokey

Before you serve the salad, toss it so all the flavors mix.

Big Al Frank's FAMOUS Potato Latkes

  

Frying Latkes in Dad's Skillet
Al Frank's Potato Latkes

Super Crispy Outside, Soft Inside

A food processor is used in this recipe. 

A food processor is used in this recipe.  My dad started using one about 20 years ago.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can use the shredding side of a grater.  It takes a little longer, but my dad used a grater for years and years

Ingredients:                                         Difficulty Rating: Easy to Mediu

·       5 lbs baking potatoes – they have to be hard, like Russet.  Peel and cut out all the eyes, because they  add a bitter taste.  Hint - You can easily half or double this recipe. But when you half it, still use 2 eggs and use just a little less than 1 teaspoon baking powder.

·       3 or 4 yams (a variation – use 3or 4 medium size yams, it’s delicious if you want to give it a try)

·       1 big onion

·       2 eggs beaten

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       1 palm of Kosher (course) salt (if your palm is small, add more, my dad was a big guy with big hands)

·       Matzo Meal

·       All purpose flour

·       oil – a light oil like canola or sunflower oil or a light vegetable oil

Hint - put a cheese cloth in a big colander in the pot or bowl you are using and put the shredded   potatoes in the cheese cloth covered colander.  The moisture will drip out through the colander and then you can squeeze the extra out using the cheese cloth.  Once you squeeze it all out, open it up, toss the potatoes around and squeeze them in the cheese cloth again to ensure that all the moisture is out.  If they aren't dry, they won't hold together.

Hint:  Potato Latkes should be golden brown and crispy.  They often start out  that way, but by the time they hit the table they are soft.  Or, people make the mixture ahead of time and do the frying right before dinner, but then the potatoes turn black and ugly.  This year my sister Carol and I tried something new.  We cooked the latkes until they held together like a pancake but were not yet golden brown.  Then right before we served them we refried them in hot oil for about 45 seconds per side, or until they are golden on each side.  It is fast and a perfect way to serve perfect latkes even for a large crowd.

If you have one, use a heavy frying pan, if not, use what you have. Sometimes we use 2 frying pans to get this done faster, if you do that, you’ll need more oil. But usually there is too much going on in my small kitchen to use 2 pans

Cut the onion into pieces that will fit in the food processor - put in food processor with bottom blade – and process

Remove the bottom blade, put on top blade with shredder side up (not slicer)

Shred potatoes and then put them into a very large bowl or pot - we don't want mashed potatoes, these are shredded

When they’re all shredded, add eggs to onion/potato mixture

Add baking powder and salt

Cover mixture with flour  (not too thick, not too thin)

Cover this mixture with matzo meal (thicker than flour)

Taste to be sure salt is OK (hint - if you taste before adding the matzo meal and flour it may taste too salty, always taste after they've been added)

(In the variation using the yams, the mixture doesn’t get as wet, but it is ok)

Heat the oil in a very large frying pan (or two). The oil has to be very hot or the pancakes will fall apart

Drain excess liquid from potato mixture - if you have them in a colander over a bowl or pan, push them down and squish the moisture out.  If you're following the cheese cloth hint above, squeeze the moisture out, toss the potatoes around and squeeze again.  Only dry potatoes hold their shape.

Important - the oil must be very hot, but not smoking.  I usually am not patient enough to wait for the oil to be hot enough and my first batch fails.

Scoop some mixture into a slotted spoon - make it just enough to allow at least 4 pancakes to cook at the same time with enough room that they don't touch – don’t expect to make it into a pancake before it is in the oil.  Just carefully place it into the hot oil and it will stay together.

Before turning it over, lift it a little to be sure bottom is deep golden brown (they’re the most delicious when they’re crispy).

Remove from heat when both sides are golden.  When you lift them out with a spatula, press top of the pancake with a big fork or against the side of the pan to get excess oil out.  Drain on acookie sheet covered with paper towels (or a brown paper bag like Dad used to do)to get as much oil out as possible. 

General Hint - Keep an eye on the people in the kitchen at this point, because they will trying to sneak a latke.

Traditionally, for Chanukah, Potato Latkes are served with apple sauce.

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Xixi Chen
made her first potato latkes!