1,000 Jewish Recipes (123 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1
1
â
2
pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
2 large eggs
3
â
4
teaspoon salt
1
â
4
teaspoon ground white pepper
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
About
1
â
2
cup vegetable oil (for frying)
1.
Line a tray with paper towels to drain pancakes. Grate sweet potatoes and onion using large holes of a grater or a food processor fitted with a coarse grating disk. Transfer to a large bowl. Beat eggs with salt and white pepper in a small bowl and add to potato mixture. Add flour and mix well.
2.
Heat
1
â
4
cup oil in a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, preferably nonstick. Fill a
1
â
4
-cup measure with mixture, pressing to compact it, and turn it out in a mound into skillet. Quickly form 3 more mounds. Flatten each with back of a spoon so each cake is 2
1
â
2
to 3 inches in diameter, pressing to compact it. Fry over medium heat 3 minutes; turn carefully with 2 slotted spatulas and fry second side about 2
1
â
2
minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to paper towels. Stir potato mixture before frying each new batch. Add more oil to the pan as necessary, and heat it before adding more latkes.
3.
Pat tops of latkes with paper towels before serving. Serve hot.
For as long as I can remember, these easy-to-make patties have been a Thanksgiving tradition at the table of my aunt Sylvia Saks. For Hanukkah, she serves them alongside my
Uncle Herman's Potato Latkes
. The sweet potatoes are mixed with pineapple, shaped into patties, given a crunchy coating of corn flakes, and a candied cherry garnish and are baked. Aunt Sylvia does not add sugar; the sweet potatoes and pineapple provide enough sweetness. She used to make them with potato chips instead of corn flakes, and people liked the contrast of the salty chips with the sweet potatoes, but she no longer uses them because many people are salt conscious. (But you can still try it if you like.)
Aunt Sylvia often doubles the recipe and bakes part of it as a casserole instead of making it into patties, because some family members prefer it that way. For the casserole, she sprinkles the corn flakes on top. If you like, dot the top with marshmallows in addition to candied cherries.
2 pounds medium orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, scrubbed
One 8-ounce can crushed pineapple
Salt, to taste
About 2 cups corn flakes
Candied cherries, halved
1.
Put sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool.
2.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet. Peel potatoes. Mash them with a potato masher. Drain pineapple, reserving liquid. Stir pineapple and salt into potatoes. If mixture is dry, gradually add enough pineapple liquid to moisten it, but don't make it wet.
3.
Put corn flakes in a bowl and crush lightly. For each patty, drop about
1
â
4
cup of potato mixture into bowl of corn flakes. Turn with 2 spoons to coat potato. Transfer to baking sheet and shape in a patty. Make an indentation in each patty and put a candied cherry half inside.
4.
Bake patties about 15 minutes or until heated through. Serve hot.
LATKE TOPPINGS AND ACCOMPANIMENTS
 or
Â
This flavorful medley of exotic and button mushrooms is a delicious topping for potato latkes or for
Parisian Hanukkah Crepes
. It's also wonderful as an appetizer or an accompaniment for fish, pasta, rice, or Mamaliga, either soft or
Oven-Toasted
. If you make the sauté without butter, you can serve it with chicken, turkey, or veal. This is best with exotic mushrooms such as chanterelle, shiitake, or portobello, but you can make it with only button mushrooms; it will still taste very good.
1
â
4
pound fresh exotic mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter or additional vegetable oil
1
â
4
pound button mushrooms, rinsed, dried, and quartered
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1.
Clean exotic mushrooms very gently with damp paper towel. If using shiitake mushrooms, cut off stems, which are tough. Cut any large mushrooms into bite-size pieces, following the mushroom's shape.
2.
Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add exotic and button mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Sauté about 3 minutes. Add shallots and sauté, tossing often, 2 to 3 minutes or until mushrooms are lightly browned and tender and any liquid in pan has evaporated. Be careful; shallots burn easily. Add parsley. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
1
â
2
cups, 8 to 10 servings
Flavored with herbs, garlic, and lemon juice, this chunky, medium-hot salsa makes a fresh, pareve topping for all sorts of latkes. I especially like it with
Cajun Corn Latkes
and
Curried Cauliflower Pancakes
.
2 medium jalapeño peppers (see Note)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
1
â
4
cup sprigs fresh cilantro
1
â
4
cup sprigs fresh Italian parsley
1 pound ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1
â
4
cup minced onion
1 to 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons water, if needed
Core jalapeño peppers; remove seeds and ribs if you want them to be less hot. Put jalapeño peppers and garlic in food processor and chop finely. Add cilantro and parsley and chop finely. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, olive oil if using, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Add water if salsa is too thick. Refrigerate salsa in a covered container until ready to serve. Serve cold.
Note:
Wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers.
This topping is great on
Classic Potato Latkes
or on
Mushroom Latkes with Dill
. But don't stop with latkes. I love it on plain baked potatoes, boiled fresh beets, and briefly cooked zucchini. Use sour cream and yogurt in the richness you preferâregular, low-fat, or nonfat.
1
â
2
cup sour cream
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
Mix sour cream, yogurt, and dill in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Like onions, shallots become sweet when they are lightly sautéed. In this topping the shallots add a hint of sweetness to the tangy yogurt. I like it on carrot, sweet potato, and zucchini latkes.
2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
1
â
4
cup vegetable broth
1 cup plain yogurt (regular, low-fat, or nonfat)
Salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons finely sliced fresh chives
1.
Heat oil in a very small skillet. Add shallots and cook over low heat, stirring often, about 3 minutes or until they are tender but not brown. Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring. Cook over medium-low heat until shallots absorb broth. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.