Latkes

[Chigworthy]

I don't know much about jewish food, but these is tasty and simple. I wanted to make 'em this morning, but had no potatoes, so I will eat them vicariously by posting this recipe:

Ingredients:

Potatoes
Chives or fresh green onions (Get the chives, it's worth it.)
Egg white(s)
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil (Use olive oil you cheapskate)

Shred some peeled potatoes with a cheese grater or equivalent. Get a nice bowl of 'em going. Be prepared as you want to move quickly without letting the potatoes turn brown.

Get a clean kitchen towel and place the mound of shreddings on it. Pull up the corners of the towel around the potatiz, then twist. Do this over a sink; you'd be surprised how much water comes out of the damn things. Keep twisting until either your wrists break or the towel rips. The idea is to get as much water out of the potatoes as you can, resulting in shatteringly crispy cakes when you cook them.

Culinary aside: This method works great for drying out chopped parsley for sprinkling as a garnish. The towel will be stained green, but you get a nice sprinkleable parsley, rather than wet clumpiness. Of course parsley garnish is no longer "de rigeur", so if you do this, you're a hack.

With the newly squeezed potato shreds, add an egg white, diced chives, and salt and pepper. I would say if you are cooking for more than 4 people, you will probably have enough potatoes to require a second egg white, or fraction thereof. The egg white is the binding agent, so it is kind of a thin line between too little and too much. Start with too little, and if your cakes aren't holding together, you can add more egg white. Mix thoroughly in a bowl.

Into your heated, oiled skillet, place manageable spoonfuls of the mixture, kind of pressing them into pancake-like patties. Fry until nicely browned and crispy, then do the same for the other side.

I forget what I used to put on these. Ketchup would be good, but it would probably obliterate the delicate play between the chives and potatoes.

[ChrisTheCop]

thankyou very much.

http://store.infinitecoolness.com/coolposters/personalities/taxi/taxitvposter007.jpg

[drjoek]

oy vey

[DarkHippie]

I forget what I used to put on these. Ketchup would be good, but it would probably obliterate the delicate play between the chives and potatoes.

Shame! The only true toppings for a latke is either sour cream or applesauce

[KatPw]

Shame! The only true toppings for a latke is either sour cream or applesauce
I admit, I used to eat them with ketchup as a kid. Now it is sour cream all the way.

[Chigworthy]

Hmm, how about some good yogurt mixed with apple butter......

[LaBoob]

Hmm, how about some good yogurt mixed with apple butter......

mmmmm! Way to turn it up a notch!

[~Katja~]

Shame! The only true toppings for a latke is either sour cream or applesauce

I only knew of apple sauce... but with the chives the sour cream makes most sense

[joethebartender]

My favorite appetizer at German restaurants. I loves me some latkas! (sour cream and chive or apple sauce).:clap:

[~Katja~]

My favorite appetizer at German restaurants. I loves me some latkas! (sour cream and chive or apple sauce).:clap:

but it's Jewish recipe... we do a lot with potatoes, Latkes are jewish

[sailor]

but it's Jewish recipe... we do a lot with potatoes, Latkes are jewish

not so: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latkes)

Potato pancakes are commonly associated with traditional Czech, Ukrainian, Yiddish, German and Polish cuisine, although other cuisines (including those of India and Korea) also have similar potato pancakes.[2] It is also the national dish of Belarus. In Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian cuisines potato pancakes are commonly known as deruny (Ukrainian: деруни) or draniki (Russian: драники). In Bavaria, Germany, potato pancakes are also very much liked under the name Reiberdatschi or Kartoffelpuffer, and they are eaten either salty as a side dish or sweet with apple sauce and cinnamon.

[GreatAmericanZero]

most "Jewish" food would have to be just "Eastern European" food right? Like, you eat "Palestinian" food but you don't eat "Muslim food".

[Chigworthy]

not so: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latkes)

You do realize that there was a concentration of Jews in those areas, right? Latkes are a jewish recipe that originated in Russia or Germany. The word is even derived from Yiddish. Just listen to it. It ain't Ukrainian.


Anyway, I was too idiotic and lazy to go get ingredients yesterday, so this morning I had to make ghetto latkes. I had 6 of those multi-colored little potatoes, a small shot of "best of the egg", and a yellow onion. They turned out delicious, but were a little heavier-handed than the more-delicate, traditional style. The chives definitely are a core ingredient. I also rendered some applesauce into a half-assed apple butter for a condiment. Not bad for ghetto-style. Maybe not kosher, but damn tasty. We also had a sliced Jonathan apple from one of our trees with peanut butter on the side.

[Caseyelan]

You do realize that there was a concentration of Jews in those areas, right? Latkes are a jewish recipe that originated in Russia or Germany. The word is even derived from Yiddish. Just listen to it. It ain't Ukrainian.


Anyway, I was too idiotic and lazy to go get ingredients yesterday, so this morning I had to make ghetto latkes. I had 6 of those multi-colored little potatoes, a small shot of "best of the egg", and a yellow onion. They turned out delicious, but were a little heavier-handed than the more-delicate, traditional style. The chives definitely are a core ingredient. I also rendered some applesauce into a half-assed apple butter for a condiment. Not bad for ghetto-style. Maybe not kosher, but damn tasty. We also had a sliced Jonathan apple from one of our trees with peanut butter on the side.

You inspired me to head to wegmans as I cannot cook.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm Dr. Praegers.

[KatPw]

You inspired me to head to wegmans as I cannot cook.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm Dr. Praegers.

Oh please, you can cook, you are just being lazy and scared to try it. No one cooks a five star meal their first time. Your a smartie, you can do it. Trial and error. Make Dave help you, it's fun.

[Caseyelan]

Oh please, you can cook, you are just being lazy and scared to try it. No one cooks a five star meal their first time. Your a smartie, you can do it. Trial and error. Make Dave help you, it's fun.

I can cook a few things really good.
Maybe one day.... when we own a peeler and grater. :)

[Chigworthy]

I can cook a few things really good.
Maybe one day.... when we own a peeler and grater. :)

Actually, these latkes are pretty forgiving. As long as you don't turn 'em to charcoal, you end up with delicious fried food. Just watch your knuckles on the damn grater. One of these days I'm gonna splurge on a mandolin with a grating blade, hopefully while I still have knuckles left. Would knuckle-flesh detract from the kosher-ness of a recipe? I imagine it would.

[joethebartender]

but it's Jewish recipe... we do a lot with potatoes, Latkes are jewish

Oookaaay...I just know that I can get potato p-cakes at the german place. I can get latkes at the Jewish deli. If you shuffled them together like a stack of cards you couldn't tell the difference. (you would have a delicious, mouth-watering deck of cards!).

PS- I like how you spoke for all Germans when you said "We do a lot with potatoes". Have you tried pitching this motto to the German board of tourism?:tongue:

[GreatAmericanZero]

when we own a peeler and grater. :)

its impossible for you to be any greater!

[Thebazile78]

But Chig, your recipe doesn't call for matzo meal.

That's what my Dittles uses as part of the binder for her latkes. (And they are her Bubbie's recipe; very yummy. Now I miss Dittles and her latkes.)

(Of course, she's not making much Ashkenazi food lately seeing as how she married a Sephardi.)

[Chigworthy]

But Chig, your recipe doesn't call for matzo meal.

That's what my Dittles uses as part of the binder for her latkes. (And they are her Bubbie's recipe; very yummy. Now I miss Dittles and her latkes.)

(Of course, she's not making much Ashkenazi food lately seeing as how she married a Sephardi.)

Yeah, I've seen recipes with matzoh meal, something that I never have. This recipe works without it. I forget where I found it, but it was years ago, and was a "jewish" recipe. There was no mention of matzoh meal, just the egg white.

[JPMNICK]

But Chig, your recipe doesn't call for matzo meal.

That's what my Dittles uses as part of the binder for her latkes. (And they are her Bubbie's recipe; very yummy. Now I miss Dittles and her latkes.)

(Of course, she's not making much Ashkenazi food lately seeing as how she married a Sephardi.)

i understood like 4 words in this post

[Thebazile78]

Yeah, I've seen recipes with matzoh meal, something that I never have. This recipe works without it. I forget where I found it, but it was years ago, and was a "jewish" recipe. There was no mention of matzoh meal, just the egg white.

There are tons of variations on latkes, depending on where your family is from. Dit's family is from Hungary, but someone else's Bubbie may make them with potato starch.

As a plus, if you make latkes without matzoh meal, you can eat them at Pesach (Passover) too.

(Most families don't use matzoh meal at Pesach because it cooks the matzoh longer than the short amount of time proscribed by the law. I forget if it's 8 or 12 minutes.)

Also, you can shred your pile of potatoes into a small bowl of water spiked with lemon juice to keep them from browning. Dump them into a colander lined with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth (or a tea towel) to drain them the same way.

[Thebazile78]

i understood like 4 words in this post

Bubbie = Grandma (Yiddish; literally means "old woman," word is related to Polish "babushka" and Slovak "babu")
Dittles = rhymes with "Skittles" and is one of the nicknames for my friend Dit (whose full name is Yehudith)
Ashkenazi = Jewish person whose family is from Eastern Europe
Sephardi = Jewish person whose family is from the Middle East

[~Katja~]

not so: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latkes)

actually I don't consider Bavaria to be German... lol (we east Germans, especially of saxon origin, have a going hate love relationship with them...)
and honestly, I have had Kartoffelpuffer and they are far from a Latke. It's finer grated, overall much smoother.


You do realize that there was a concentration of Jews in those areas, right? Latkes are a jewish recipe that originated in Russia or Germany. The word is even derived from Yiddish. Just listen to it. It ain't Ukrainian.

.
That's what my first thought was when I read it.



PS- I like how you spoke for all Germans when you said "We do a lot with potatoes". Have you tried pitching this motto to the German board of tourism?:tongue:
well, apparently we are known for fucking chickens and shitting on glass tables... I am trying to change our reputation here :D




Ashkenazi = Jewish person whose family is from Eastern Europe

always makes me think of my friend. her last name spells almost like this and is pronounced the same way... and she is an adopted columbian who is now a Jew.