Fun Playing With Latkes, 2019 Edition

This is our second consecutive winter in Destin, Florida. Our cute apartment has a recently renovated kitchen. Despite the learning curve on the smoothtop electric stove, I enjoy cooking here and have some marvelous local ingredients to work with. This week, the Fort Walton Beach Farmers' Market provided the raw materials for some fabulous potato latkes (or pancakes) - the traditional food of Hanukkah. I make them the same way as my mother did (before MS took her from the hand grater to the blender). But with neither a box grater nor our trusty Cuisinart and it's cheese grating wheel to process the onions and potatoes, what do do?

I never travel when I might be cooking with taking my "Boat Motor Box." It's a plastic box holding a Braun immersion blender with a plethora of accessories. The item attached to the handle at 12 o'clock that is hiding behind the carafe is a whisk.

Though it's about 20 years old, I never figured out until last winter here in Destin that the center cup-like thing and the small blade to the left of it are for grating! So - here are the works for latke making!

Start by beating a fresh Farmers' Market egg using the long food processor blade in the carafe.

Remove beaten egg to the workbowl, and insert that strange colander-looking thing into the carafe. The blade with the little notches on the side fits right in (it doesn't fit into any of the other parts). 

First, roughly chop then process the onion. I did a half recipe each night - 3 potatoes to half a medium onion. Onion and potatoes came from the Farmers' Market.

Mix the processed onions with the egg and then peel the potatoes and place in a bowl of water to prevent oxidation. First potato up!

Clever gadget, isn't it? Not quite as fine as the cheese wheel on the Cuisinart, but the process made a great latke! I decanted each potato into the egg/onion mixture as it finished processing. There is enough liquid in the bowl to prevent potato oxidation.

Add Matzoh Meal (it took a bit more than the 1/4 cup in the recipe to get the right texture, but remember, we didn't drain any liquid out of the potatoes), about a teaspoon of baking powder, salt and pepper, and it's ready to fry!

I used a combination of Olive Oil and Peanut oil.

Serve up with applesauce and sour cream, and dinner is ready! 

And it wouldn't be Hanukkah dinner without a little dessert, would it? How about some fried donuts from our local favorite The Donut Hole.

Raspberry

Bavarian Cream

Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday)! 

Fun Playing With Purple Viking Potatoes

As Hanukkah draws to a close with tonight's eighth candle, it seems like an apropos time to show you some of the fun we've had with the Purple Viking Potatoes Bob grew in the garden this year. Potato pancakes (latkes) are of course the seminal Hanukkah treat.

Bob's Potatoes (apologies to Eric Idle and Saturday Night Live)




Baked






Sinfully creamy even before the butter! We remain amazed at the white color of the flesh, and the in-your-face fresh taste - we felt as though we'd never tasted potatoes before. Do get yourself some freshly dug specimens if you can find them.


French Fried



Jeweled explosions of potato goodness.


Mashed (with Garden parsley and local butter)


Baked into Potato Bread

For post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.


Sauteed in Smoked Duck Fat

If you have never sauteed a potato in freshly rendered (or even commercial) duck fat - you need to try some! Onions, salt and fresh cracked tellicherry peppercorn were all it needed to sing.

And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for: Latkes!







Served as dinner, with Organic Valley Sour Cream and Baked Garden Carrots with Ohio City Pasta Pumpkin Butter.


Fried in Duck Fat



Latkes fried in duck fat deserve a second look, don't they?



The duck that provided the fat (thank you Makinajian Farms, LI, NY).

And so, dinner was served, with a chunk of roasted squash and more latkes. A happy and potatoey Hanukkah to all and to all a good night. 

Fun Playing with Ceviche and European Cuisine at Restaurant Europa

Literally on the heels of our weekend of fun catering for our Mensa friends, Mensan friend Robert hosted a watch party as he appeared on the nationally televised quiz show Jeopardy on Monday, September 27. We assembled at the bar of Pepper Pike's Restaurant Europa Cleveland, 30519 Pinetree Road Pepper Pike Ohio 44124, 216.591.1273. I had heard about this restaurant's Ceviche Bar and chilled Siberian vodka room, so I was glad Robert had selected it.

Our evening began with appetizers, which I believe were comped to Robert by the house. 

Potato Pancakes (Latkes), Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream

Shrimp Cocktail with Vodka Cocktail Sauce

Let me stop right here. This shrimp was positively delicious. Though certainly a frozen product - there was not a trace of off smell or taste (or chemicals), just lovely sweet shrimp meat that paired nicely with the horseradish-infused cocktail sauce.



The smoked salmon likewise tasted fresh and clean, with a bit of salmon gusto that I really enjoyed.



The potato pancakes were dense and chewy - not as crunchy as I might like them, but wonderfully satisfying and not at all greasy. Topped with a bit of salmon and sour cream - a perfect pre-dinner bite.


Beef Filled Potato Pancake

At least I think that is what this was. A sort of inside-out latke - meat in the middle instead of on top - this  morsel was crispy and again not greasy, with seasoned meat to round it out. Nicely done.


Stuffed Latke Cross Section

I'll show you the appetizer we ordered next, even though it wasn't actually served until after our entrees.  I really wanted to sample a Ceviche, especially after tasting the pristine shrimp and tasty salmon. (Ceviche is raw fish “cooked” through the process of marinating in citrus.) And what type of Ceviche could be more "Cleveland" than this:



PERCH Ceviche * Onion, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, mango. Juice of lemon, lime and orange.

The oversized martini glass was stuffed to bursting with these lovely nuggets of perchy goodness! I especially enjoyed the combination of the unexpected flavors - the mango, cilantro and jalapeno, together with three different citrus juices. And for the third time, a fish/seafood product passed both the smell and taste tests for freshness and chemistry. I am completely sold on Restaurant Europa.

Stuffed Cabbage

Bob's entree was served with tasty mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables (which clearly came from a food service bag, though they were not the frozen type) and sour cream.

My taste was moist and delicious - a little different from the way my mom (or my husband) would make it, but that's ok. I can't even explain how it was different - seasonings, cooking technique - but we enjoyed it very much. 

Russian Ravioli: Beef Dumplings with Mushroom Sauce 

My entree was the only thing I tasted all evening that I could make a negative comment about. There was something dusty and dry about the texture of these "deep fried" dumplings that I couldn't put my finger on. Fortunately, the ceviche and the mushroom sauce (yes, you read that correctly; I actually selected the mushroom sauce and it was delicious, thank you) added lots of moisture to the party. And the insides of the dumplings were very moist - it was just the outside that was dry.

The beef filling inside the dumpling was just a little different from both of the beef fillings I had already tasted. Though I don't know if I'd order this dish again, I'm not sorry that I tried it (I'd suggest trying the boiled version if this intrigues you).

The price points at Europa are incredibly reasonable for the quality and quantity served. The generous portion of Ceviche was $5.50 and our entrees were each $10.99. So playing with European food at Europa is not only fun on your palate, but easy on your wallet. The website boasts of live music six nights a week beginning at 6pm (except Monday, which was the night we visited). The bar tenders worked very hard to please our large group, even when liquors ran out or weren't available, and the alcohol selections included some Russian beers, Eastern European wines, and unusual vodkas. Note that the restaurant is not open for lunch, just dinner beginning at 4pm all seven days. We had fun playing with the food and drinks at Restaurant Europa, and we didn't even get to the chilled vodka room this time!

Fun Playing with Latkes 2009

Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights ended Saturday. We had a great time playing with our food this holiday!

First - the fully lit Menorah, from Friday night (the last night - we start with one candle, plus the middle "helper" candle, then add another candle each night until the end):

But we all know what is really important about this holiday: Latkes! Our tutorial on the best way to make these crispy potato pancakes is here.

So, what did we eat with our latkes? We had brussels sprouts, either steamed or sauteed, throughout the holiday. The first batch came from Farmer Jones-The Chef's Garden, courtesy of our friend Nora's CSA basket. The bunch pictured below came from good friend and local farmer Herbthyme. You can get her goodies at the Geauga Farmers' Market, in season.

 

Herbthyne Sprouts, Raw

The Chef's Garden Sprouts, Sauteed in Bacon Fat

Yes, you read that correctly. After frying the latkes in peanut oil - my hubby decided the sprouts needed pork fat. Not very kosher - but very delicious!

Our entree the first few days was leftover turkey from our Thanksgiving Boubon Red. As that meat slipped past its prime, I asked Bob to come up with something else. He readily obliged:

Breychak Farms Lamb Roast

The only additions to the fabulous meat were a little salt and pepper. It was sublime, and a perfect companion to the latkes and sprouts.

As with our Breychak Ham, I found the skin and fat to be simply amazing eats - and I was raised to throw the skin away! Not here - at least not while it was crispy.

Bob's secret to keeping this type of meat from overcooking on reheating is to make gravy, and then simmer the leftovers in the gravy to reheat them. We lose the crunchy skin on the reheat, but the meat never gets dry or tough.

Lamb fat (and some schmaltz rendered from Aaron Miller chickens) is mixed with flour and made into a roux.

The balance of the roasting pan drippings from the lamb are added.

A bit later - gravy goodness!

Dinner is served! We also discovered that fresh dill is wonderful in the latkes, and it also complimented the lamb very nicely.

Here's hoping that you have fun playing with your food during the December holidays of your choice!