pic by Judith Hausman
Around my household , we heap our latkes mellow with horseradish , dour cream and homemade codswallop .
I fence with my Kid for years about our latkes , the potato pancakes traditionally served during the Jewish winter holiday of Hannukah , because I tried to make them a ) healthier and b ) less labor - intensive .
Latkes are supposed to be pan - fry in oil colour , and they really must be consumed right aside . If not , the grated potato become a filthy sort of blue - grey , and before you roll in the hay it , you ’re turning out small hockey Robin Goodfellow alternatively of savory , lacey flannel-cake . That means you have to move fast once the potato are grated , and someone ( that ’d be me ) has to stay at the stove frying the little ravisher while the rest of the work party heap them with ( homemade , local ) trash , rancid ointment and red - beet Armoracia rusticana . Oh , and if you’re able to manage to stew a tender , grassfed brisket with onions and cultivated carrot gravy to eat with the latke , that ’d be nice , Mom .
I ’ve actually won everyone over on the first tally ( healthiness ) . At first , they protest to my experiment with attention deficit disorder - in , such as scallion , courgette or sweet Irish potato . But today , at the last pick - up of my CSA ( boo hoo ) , I was able to choose solid , dusky potatoes ; chunky parsnip ; rose-colored - orange tree carrot ; and bright , last scallions . All of them together will become latke ; now , the whole family welcomes sweet potatoes or wintertime squash into the mixing , as well .
After a slip through my intellectual nourishment processor ’s grating leaf blade , the premix will be quickly blotted dry and whisked with just nut and a little flour before sizzling into the oil color . The real diehard still swear by hand - grate the potatoes through the low jam , resulting in a sort of mush from which the weewee is squeeze out in a towel . I care the lacier style rather than this more solid style , so the mix of colors and flavors stand up out .
Hannukah is a time for socializing at the table , light cd , telling stories and playing games . guest and sept go back and forth from the range to the table , craft recipes and reminiscences . And now , I can offer them local latkes in all their resplendence , fulfill with the vitality of vegetables grow aright near home and fortify us ( with all that oil colour ) for the dark wintertime .
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