a way to make the optimal latkes: meals author Rachel Forrest's favourite recipes

meals writer Rachel Forrest writes every Hanukkah season about latkes.

listed here are some excerpts and recipes she's written about over the years.

Hanukkah: Seacoast Jewish community celebrates the triumph of gentle over darkness

"I make latkes all yr lengthy and take a look at to preserve them primary," she writes. "My newest latke recipe (and they do exchange and evolve every year as I find new ideas, is fairly) makes use of matzo meal as a substitute of flour within the batter and that i adored the texture that yielded. Use russet potatoes and make extra certain to soak the shreds in bloodless water for roughly 10 minutes to get the starch out and to squeeze out as a good deal moisture as feasible. This has dramatically greater my latkes, however additionally hash browns. trust adding other greens to the mix including beets, carrots, parsnips, candy potatoes, celeriac and zucchini. I additionally like the usage of schmaltz, the rendered bird fat, if there aren't vegetarians within the community."

Seacoast Media neighborhood meals author Rachel Forrest has written for a long time in regards to the Hannukah basic latkes.

Latkes

Makes 20 latkes

ingredients

2 colossal eggs

Kosher salt

Pepper

2 lb. medium russet potatoes

2 medium onions

1/2 c. matzo meal

8 T. olive oil or schmaltz (rendered chook fat)

Whisk eggs, 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a huge bowl. Grate the potatoes and onions. Add to the bowl with the eggs and combine. Stir in matzo meal.

heat 2 T. oil or schmaltz in a large skillet, preferably forged iron. Drop tremendous spoonfuls of the combination (a couple of 1/four c. each and every) into the skillet and flatten. prepare dinner except one facet is brown and crisp, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook dinner on the different facet. switch to a paper towel.

proceed until all batter is long gone, adding extra oil if indispensable.

one way to jazz up your latke video game is to present a number of toppings. while sour cream and applesauce are common, listed below are a few other concepts: Horseradish or horseradish blended with sour cream; lemon zest; shredded beets; chopped apples; goat cheese with herbs; crème fraîche with smoked salmon; pomegranate seeds and Greek yogurt; crème fraîche and figs; mix a couple of clean herbs into the sour cream or chopped apple compote

Story continues

This yr, I'm making a adaptation on sufganiyot, these round, jelly doughnuts served on Hannukah, and making little balls of candy dough, fried and glazed with native honey and spices. They're a lot more straightforward to make and go back and forth neatly. Use any native honey or one with truffle or a little warmth to it. I additionally experiment with flavorings in the honey like orange, rose and vanilla.

A serving of golden-fried potato latkes served with apple sauce. Latkes have one of the crucial honored places in Hanukkah's culinary tradition. these days, many different varieties of latkes have fun the wealth of components beyond potatoes at our disposal - a latke celebration with two or greater styles of latkes can definitely add to the festivities. (AP image/Mary Altaffer)

Honey gems

Makes 10 servings (a hundred)

components

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup. water

1 T. sugar

1/four t. kosher salt

1 cup. all-aim flour

4 huge eggs

Oil, for deep-frying (about 2 quarts)

1/2 cup honey of choice

1 T. orange blossom or rose water

1/four t. floor cardamom, cinnamon or cumin

combine butter, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan and produce to a boil, stirring every so often, except butter is melted. remove from heat and stir in flour, then return to medium warmth and cook dinner unless the blend pulls from the facet of the pan, stirring consistently. It's achieved in the event you can form a ball, about 2 minutes.

transfer blend to bowl of electric powered mixer and beat on low pace the usage of paddle attachment for 1 minute. I've also used just a whisk. Beat in eggs separately unless dough is easy. vicinity in a pastry bag with a huge tip.

Set wire rack over baking sheet or layer of paper towels. heat 2 inches oil in a medium pot to 350°F. Squeeze the pastry bag to drop inch lengthy pieces of dough into the hot oil the use of a knife to reduce each off. Fry until they blow his own trumpet and switch a golden brown. eliminate with a slotted spoon and area on rack. Repeat unless dough is used up.

mix honey, orange blossom water or other flavoring, and cardamom or other spices in a tumbler cup and warmth. location in a bowl and then transfer cooled, cooked balls into the bowl in batches to toss and coat.

believe the schmaltz

"This latke recipe uses liquid chook fat to create the ideal crispiness. good enough, so, rendered chook fat can also now not sound all that healthful, but as soon as in ages it's fine and so tasty when used to fry your latkes. you can additionally have fun with a crunchy snack byproduct of rendering that fats, gribenes. So seize your forged iron skillet, which i recommend over every other class, and let's make some schmaltz.

First, you'll need a chook or two. Some butchers may additionally have just chicken dermis for you and you can be able to find it in case you have a Mexican or important American grocery store close you. while chicharrón is made from fried pork rinds for essentially the most part, it may well even be made from chook skin.

otherwise, simply get the epidermis from a chicken you're going to eat anyway. Make a pleasant chicken salad! The pound of hen skin used in this recipe may also be acquired from about 14 to 17 kilos of fowl thighs, which that you could epidermis and use in yet another recipe. that you could additionally simply store up the hen epidermis as you're making other dishes and freeze it. "

Schmaltz, and the Gribenes

Makes about ¾ cup of liquid chicken fat and a 1.5 cups of gribenes

parts

1 lb. hen dermis with fats intact

2 tsp. Kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 giant onion (not obligatory)

Chop the bird epidermis and fat into pieces a couple of half inch through half inch. place in a bowl and toss the epidermis with salt and pepper. area the epidermis and fats into your cast iron skillet over a medium low warmth. cowl and cook for roughly 12 minutes however do maintain an eye fixed on it. You'll see the fats begin to liquify.

in case you see the fats rendering, a.ok.a. liquifying, flip the warmth up to medium and add the onion in case you want to add that flavor. cook for an additional 20 minutes, stirring frequently to be sure the items don't stick together. You'll see the skin browning and curling up.

Take the pan off the heat and stress the schmaltz right into a container. not plastic, of route, because the fat is awfully sizzling. When room temperature, it's a liquid for cooking, but when you place it in the fridge, it hardens up a little and you may use it as a selection.

convey the pan back to medium heat to continue to prepare dinner the skin and onion unless it's a fantastic darkish golden colour or even darker in response to your selection. Then vicinity on a paper towel to take in the extra fat. Use as a snack or as a garnish on other dishes. i like to sprinkle them with herbs or chili, definitely anything else you put on popcorn.

And now, for the latkes. I've experimented with many latke recipes in view that my roommate's mother taught me and this is the way it's developed. I all the time use russets as a result of they fry up wonderfully.

Latkes

Makes eight latkes

constituents

1 russet potato, about 12 ounces

½ small onion, peeled

¼ cup all-goal flour

1 massive egg

1 tsp. Kosher salt

½ tsp. baking powder

Schmaltz

Gribenes for garnish

Applesauce and sour cream for accoutrements

Grate the onion and potato then squeeze out the extra liquid. place in a bowl with flour, salt, baking powder and egg.

cling your forged iron skillet over medium-excessive flame then fill with schmaltz to a couple of ¼-inch. When hot, drop batter into the schmaltz in ¼-cup portions. Flatten each and every with a spatula. When the perimeters get crisp, flip to prepare dinner until a light golden brown, about 6 minutes. switch to a paper towel. prepare dinner in batches until carried out.

Serve with the applesauce, sour cream and the gribenes on desirable.

one more latke recipe

"here is my favourite latke recipe and a newfangled one I used currently which comprises parsnips and a beautiful cinnamon applesauce."

Avi's Latkes

Makes 20-22

2 1/2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes

1 giant onion, shredded

3/4 cup matzo meal

2 eggs, beaten

1 T potato starch

1 1/four t. Salt

1/2 t.

Grapeseed oil for frying (about 2 cups), or schmaltz (fowl fats)

Shred the potatoes the use of a nice shredder or meals processor with a shredding attachment. i take advantage of a Spiralizer, of direction. vicinity the shredded potato into a bowl of bloodless water.

Grate the onion to extremely nice. Drain the potatoes, then location within the middle of a clear dish towel or a few layers of cheesecloth and desirable with the onion. Wrap it all up and squeeze to extract the liquid right into a bowl. region the potato and onion into a dry bowl.

Add the oil or schmaltz to a heavy skillet. warmth to about 370 degrees F. meanwhile, mix the matzo meal, potato starch, beaten eggs and salt and pepper into your potato and onion mixture.

Make the pancakes via taking about three-four tablespoons of the blend and shape it right into a flat disc. area into the hot oil, however don't crowd the pan. you'll want to have scorching oil however no longer smoking. If it smokes, turn down the heat a tiny bit. believe starting with one examine latke, then adjust the heat and fry about four at a time, about 3 minutes per aspect except brown and crisp. remove and cool on a wire rack. Serve with sour cream and applesauce.

Parsnip and Potato Latkes with Cinnamon Applesauce

tailored from the meals network

For the applesauce:

3 lb. combined crimson apples, unpeeled

1 lemon

1 cinnamon stick

For the latkes

1/2 lb. (about 2) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled

1/2 lb. (about four) parsnips, peeled

1/2 medium onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2.big eggs

2 T. chopped sparkling parsley

2 T. minced sparkling chives

three T all-goal flour Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying

Make the applesauce:

reduce the apples into 1- inch items. eliminate 3 extensive strips zest from the lemon with a vegetable peeler; switch to a saucepan and squeeze within the lemon juice. Add the apples and cinnamon stick, cover and prepare dinner over medium heat unless delicate, 15 to twenty minutes.

find and enhance the warmth to medium excessive. continue to cook, mashing and stirring the apples, until they thicken, 10 to 15 minutes. eradicate the cinnamon stick, then circulate the apples via a meals mill or puree in a meals processor. Set apart except able to serve.

Make the latkes:

Grate the potatoes, parsnips and onion the use of the medium grater attachment of a food processor or the significant holes of a box grater. Squeeze the blend via the handful over the sink to remove any extra liquid.

combine with the garlic, eggs, parsley and chives in a huge bowl, then add the flour and 1/2 teaspoon every salt and pepper. shape into 12 thin patties, squeezing to eliminate any remaining liquid as you kind each one; lay on a sheet of parchment.

heat 1/four inch of peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-excessive heat. Fry the latkes in batches until golden brown, four to five minutes per aspect. Drain on paper towels and season with salt while hot. Serve with the cinnamon applesauce.

this article in the beginning seemed on Portsmouth Herald: Latke recipes for Hanukkah from meals creator Rachel Forrest