#chanucah

Potato latkes

Today is the 5th day of an eight day Jewish Festival - Chanucah. As always it is based on the history, and as with many Festivals, comes with special foods. Unlike Passover which has to include something bitter (to remind us of bitter times), this one features foods fried in oil. So it’s latkes served with apple sauce and sour cream when you’re sitting at a table and at any other time, doughnuts or sufganiyot as they are called in Israel.  (Hope to show these next).

How to make latkes: peel and grate 4 baking potatoes and 2 onions. Drain them very well by squeezing with your hands, to remove the starchy liquid. Then put them in a towel to remove even more liquid.

Add 2 beaten eggs and plenty of salt and pepper. Some people add flour or matzo meal which makes them firmer, but I prefer not to. 

Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in hot oil (it should sizzle when they go in) and then press them down.  Cook for a few minutes till they start to colour, then turn them over and continue cooking till they are crisp and brown on  both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately. 

You can serve latkes with meat or fish, but my preferred way is on their own with just a bowl of apple sauce and sour cream or yogurt.

Potato latkes

Latkes are pancakes made from grated potato. The traditional recipe includes flour, but my version just contains potato, onion, eggs and plenty of seasoning. This makes them light and crisp at the edges. They have something in common with cranberry sauce or sprouts, both of which are served almost exclusively at Christmas (or in the case of cranberries, at Thanksgiving in USA). Latkes are a side dish, specially reserved for the Jewish Festival of Chanucah, yet they are so good we should be eating them every week.

They are so easy that a child can make them. I first thought about this when I was writing my book for children:

Lookit Cookit.

Of course young people and hot oil don’t go together, but with a bit of helpful supervision frying is not difficult. All you need is peeled potatoes, onions and eggs. The first two need to be grated in a food processor. Children love the grating, then the squeezing of the potatoes, to get rid of the liquid and some of the starch. The next stage is to whisk up a couple of eggs and stir everything together. Have ready a pan of hot oil and spoon the mixture carefully into little heaps in the pan. Turn them over when they start to brown and cook for a few more minutes on the other side.

Drain them on paper towels and serve hot. They go well with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Happy Holidays

This year, unusually, two events coincide. Today is both Christmas Day and the first day of the Jewish festival Chanucah.

So I wish you all a happy time with family, friends and good food.

The photo shows the Christmas decorations in London’s Bond Street. Instead of the usual balls or stars, there are peacock feathers.

Where was I?

… and what are these? The answer to the second question is that these are dragon fruits (sometimes called pitaya or 'strawberry pears'). I found them in the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem – with a profusion of other seasonal fruits (more pictures coming up). Fresh figs, jewel-coloured pomegranates and sweet-fleshed pomelits (like a grapefruit but less tart) are all in abundance, making a change from the winter fruits we have in the UK.

Last week I was in Israel for the Festival of Chanucah. The bakeries were full of sufganiyot – doughnuts. The original version is jam filled and dusted with sugar, but now you can buy a dozen flavours: tiramisu, crème brulee, chocolate, coffee, etc. They are all meltingly soft with creamy fillings and icing or sprinkles on top.

The food scene in Israel has been transformed over the years. At one time you could only buy soft cheeses, but now you can find a huge array of foreign varieties: Parmesan, Stilton, Tome de Savoie, Emmenthal etc.  Another outstanding product is the beef. Fillet steaks are imported from Argentina and are tender and full of flavour.