Sweet Potato & Fennel Latkes

December 20, 2016 · by ·

I’m back with some latkes for Chanukah! I couldn’t neglect the blog for this holiday – one of my favorite foodie holidays! Each year, I love coming up with fun, new twists on the traditional latke. From carrot ginger to corned beef and cabbage, I always have fun with this holiday treat. And this year, Chanukah coincides with Christmas, giving us Christmukkah. Did I spell it right? Just like Hanukkah, it has a bunch of different spellings. Anyhow, it’s time to have some fun.

This latke recipe that I’m sharing with you came about when I was eyeing the fennel at the local vegetable market. I love fennel, but I was thinking about how I could do something other than my standard of roasting it. And then I thought about Chanukah and latkes. I didn’t think it would stand up on it’s own as a latke, but I figured that if I combined it with a more starchy veggie, it could work. A regular potato is too plain in flavor, so I looked to the sweet potato and thought that the flavor combo could work. The sweet with the anise flavor.

I shredded up a couple of sweet potatoes with two fennel bulbs, along with some onion and garlic. I squeezed out whatever liquid I could get out of it. I mixed everything in a bowl with some egg, flour, salt and pepper. Then I fried the latke patties in some canola oil – draining them when they were crisp on both sides. You do have to be careful when frying, because these latkes go from nicely crisp to very burnt very quickly.

I’m so happy  with the way these latkes turned out though. It’s a nice change from the standard potato pancake. I served these latkes with the traditional sour cream, but these would also be great with creme fraiche or maybe a horseradish sauce. Have fun with it! Enjoy!


Sweet Potato & Fennel Latkes
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 2 fennel bulbs
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 tbsp. all purpose flour or gluten free flour
  • additional salt and pepper to taste
  • canola oil for frying
Instructions
  1. Shred all of the veggie in your food processor with a grating disc, or shred by hand
  2. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible
  3. Mix everything together in a large bowl with the salt, pepper, eggs and flour
  4. Heat a large fry pan on medium high. Add oil to pan.
  5. Form mixture into small thin patties and fry in oil. About two minutes per side, until evenly brown and crispy.
  6. Drain on a cooling rack or on paper towels.
  7. Serve with sour cream or other topping.
  8. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Appetizers, Chanukah, latke, Side Dish, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Butternut Squash & Kale Latkes

December 3, 2015 · by ·

latkesmainbutt

So I’m here bringing you another epic latke post. The corned beef & cabbage latkes were a big hit all over the place, but I just had to follow it up with another latke that seemed more like the me you all know. I needed to include some of my favorite fall comfort foods. That falls to the humble squash and the not so humble green kale.

I’ve got a ton of squash in the house thanks to my CSA. Late fall tends to be filled with a variety of greens, squash, onions and potatoes. Not a bad deal for Chanukah. But this butternut squash was lording over my kitchen and begging to be used. I typically just roast squash in the oven and serve on it’s own or in salads, but changing it up a bit can be good for me. And kale goes with everything.

I peeled and sliced the squash and then shredded it in my food processor along with some shallots.

I then chopped up the kale in the Cuisinart as well.

I squeezed out the liquid of both veggies and then mixed everything together with some egg, flour, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.

mixed

I then got to frying. Flipping over when it got crispy and browned a bit.

frying

I drained on a paper towel lined cooling rack.

draining

These latkes are fabulous served with a sprinkling of room temperature goat cheese. I love the creaminess that the chevre brings to the latke.

Try it! You’ll like it! Enjoy!



Butternut Squash & Kale Latkes
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut up in chunks for the food processor
  • 3 shallots
  • 3 heaping cups of cut up Tuscan Kale, washed and stemmed
  • 3 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 extra large eggs
  • 4 tbsp. flour (all purpose or your favorite gluten free blend}
  • additional salt and pepper as needed
  • oil for frying
Instructions
  1. Peel and chunk up the butternut squash. Shred with shredding disc in food processor.
  2. Add the shallots to the processor.
  3. Transfer both to a large mixing bowl.
  4. Chop up the kale in the food processor and then add to squash mixture.
  5. Squeeze any liquid out of the kale/squash mixture
  6. Stir in salt, pepper, flour and eggs
  7. Form in to latke patties and fry - flipping once when browned on each side
  8. Drain and cool on a paper towel lined cooling rack
  9. Serve with some goat cheese
  10. Enjoy!

butternut squash and kale

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Chanukah, Gluten Free, hanukkah, latke, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Corned Beef & Cabbage Latkes

December 2, 2015 · by ·

corned beef 'latkes main

 

One minute it’s back-to-school season and the next minute it’s Thanksgiving. And before you know it, Chanukah somehow manages to peek its’ face around the corner. Thankfully, winter hasn’t shown its’ chilly face. I’d like to keep it that way.

As soon as I came to my senses and realized that Chanukah is just a few days away, aside from the quick and dirty job of scouring Amazon for presents, I started my latke brainstorming. My husband suggested I do a basic potato latke. After I gave him the stink eye for that zany suggestion, I got to work. I’ve got a few new latke flavors for you to feast on this season and I hope you enjoy them.

The first latke of this Chanukah season is kind of a marriage of St. Patrick’s Day and Chanukah. I’m bringing you some Cabbage and Corned Beef Latkes. I know that St. Patty’s Day is a few months away and in no way connected with the history of Chanukah, but I had the flavors stuck in my head. It occurred to me that it just might work. And it did!

I quickly ran out to my local kosher deli to pick up the best and fattiest corned beef they had on hand.

I shredded up some onions, cabbage and potato in the  food processor, making sure to squeeze out all of the extra starchy liquid when done.

shredded

 

squeeze

I then shredded up the corned beef with a knife and then mixed it into the cabbage and onion mixture.  I stirred in some eggs and flour.

corned beef

 

mixing
I then formed the mixture into latke patties and fried until crispy and browned all over.

latkes frying

I drained the finished latkes on a cooling rack.

latkes draining

Of course I snuck a latke or two before serving them. I had to!

I recommend serving the latkes with a creamy horseradish sauce – also known as horsey sauce.

You need to make these though. They are amazing. Especially when the corned beef gets a bit charred and crispy. Brings out the flavor. Anyways – just make them!

If corned beef isn’t your thing, maybe you’d enjoy some wild mushroom and roasted garlic latkes or maybe carrot ginger latkes are more your speed. Whatever floats your boat, get into the holiday spirit and enjoy it with latkes!




Cabbage & Corned Beef Latkes
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled
  • 1 small cabbage, cored
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled
  • ¾ lb sliced corned beef (deli style)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 tbsp. flour
  • 3 tsp. salt
  • 3 tsp. fresh grated black pepper
  • Additional salt and pepper to taste
  • oil for frying
Instructions
  1. With the shredding disc of a food processor, shred the onion, cabbage and potato together
  2. Place the shredded mixture in a towel and carefully squeeze out as much of the starchy liquid as possible. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
  3. Shred up the corned beef with a knife. Add it to the mixing bowl.
  4. Stir in eggs, flour, salt and pepper.
  5. Heat up a large fry pan on medium-high heat.
  6. Add in the vegetable oil and let the oil heat up.
  7. Form the latke mixture in to patties and fry on medium-high heat until brown around the edges. Flip and continue to fry until browned on both sides.
  8. Drain a paper towel lined cooling rack.
  9. Serve with horseradish sauce.
  10. Enjoy!

Cabbage & Corned Beef Latkes

Filed Under: Appetizers, Chanukah, fried, hanukkah, latke, meat · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lemon Lavender Hamentashen

February 26, 2014 · by ·

lemon-lavender-hamentashen

Disclosure: I got this silicone baking product mentioned below as part of an advertorial. All opinions and content are my own.

I know I just shared some hamentashen the other day, but since those kimchi hamentashen were savory, I decided to share something sweet with you today. I also wanted to feature my awesome new Cuina Silicone baking mat with you. I figured that freshly baked hamentashen were the perfect way to take advantage of both needs. Stay tuned for the end of this post. You’ll have a chance to win your own Silicone baking mat!

It’s Meyer Lemon season apparently.  I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with them, but I love the taste. They are much sweeter than traditional lemons. When I saw them at the market, I knew I had to incorporate some of them in to my cooking or baking. I’ve been wanting to make lemon curd since I can’t seem to find one that is kosher certified. I was surprised to find out how easy it is to make the curd.

I combined egg yolk with sugar and heated over medium heat, whisking the whole time. I then juiced and zested the lemons and stirred it in to the egg yolks mixture. I stirred for several minutes, letting it thicken then added a stick of butter. You want the mixture to get thick. It should coat the back of your wooden spoon. Once ready. I transferred to jars and chilled in the refrigerator.

lemon-curd-collage

I was debating between lemon rosemary or lemon lavender dough for the hamentashen. I have a foolproof hamentashen dough that I have played with over the years and knew I could make it work for this application. I just had to choose the right herb. I cook with rosemary often, but rarely use lavender – yet I have it in my house. I decided to challenge myself and use the lavender. I know that both herbs work well with lemon anyways, just not necessarily all together.

I mixed up the dough in my Kitchenaid. I then transferred the dough to a rolling mat coated with lots of flour. I rolled out the dough, and with a small drinking glass, I cut rounds of dough. I then shaped in to Hamentashen and transferred to my baking mat lined baking pan.

dough-rounds

Now I want to tell you about this Cuina Kitchen brand silicone baking mat. The fine folks at Cuina Kitchen sent it to me and I was so excited since I had never used one before. I always tend to use parchment paper instead. This silicone baking mat allows you to make cookies without any spray or parchment paper. You just place the mat in your half sheet pan and the cookies go on. They didn’t stick at all! It was so simple. Why did I never buy a baking mat before? Anyways, I highly recommend this silicone baking mat. It worked really well. My cookies came out perfectly and there was no sticky mess to clean up. At the bottom of this post, you’ll have your very own chance to win one of these baking mats!

cuina-kitchen-sheet

Meyer Lemon Curd
 
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Recipe type: spread, sweet
Ingredients
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Juice and Zest from 4-5 Meyer Lemons (around ½ cup of juice)
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
  1. Beat the egg yolks with a form lightly and place in a small heavy-bottomed sauce pan, along with the cup of sugar.
  2. Whisk well over medium heat, letting the sugar melt in.
  3. Add in the lemon juice and zest and stir with a wooden spoon. Let the mixture thicken a bit.
  4. Stir in the butter, keep stirring with the wooden spoon until the back of the spoon is coated in the curd mixture.
  5. Once the curd has thickened, remove from heat, transfer to jars and chill in refrigerator. Enjoy!



  meyerlemoncurd  

Lemon Lavender Hamentashen
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup lemon curd (see recipe above)
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. ground vanilla
  • 1 tbsp. lavender
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 cups flour (plus more for rolling
  • 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar together.
  3. Mix in the eggs, vanilla and the lavender.
  4. Add in the dry ingredients and mix well until it forms a dough.
  5. Transfer to a rolling area that has been liberally dusted with flour.
  6. Make sure to dust your hands and rolling pin as well.
  7. In batches, roll out the dough to about a ½-inch thickness. Cut out circles of dough with a glass. Place a teaspoon of the filling at the center of the dough round. Pinch corners in well to form a triangle.
  8. Transfer formed hamentashen to a lined baking mat.
  9. Bake in oven for around 10-11 minutes.
  10. Cool on rack.
  11. Enjoy!

Lemon-Lavender-Hamentashen-Upright

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Filed Under: baked, cookie, cookies, Hamentashen, Jewish Holidays, product review, Purim · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cranberry Glazed Corned Turkey Roast

October 17, 2013 · by ·

Cranberry-Turkey

A whole bunch of Jewish holidays just ended and I’m already gearing up for the next set. How did that happen so fast?

This year, in the good ol’ US of A, we have the pleasure of two holidays happening at the same time. Thanksgiving happens to fall on the first night of Chanukah! They say this awesome phenomenon won’t happen for another 79,000 years. Since I don’t plan on being around for the next round of Thanksgivukkah, I thought it best to do something this year to honor the holiday. Two great foodie holidays colliding! I’ve got to do something, right? So stick around this blog. I hope to share a few more Thanksgivukkah recipes with you over the next month.

When I was at the kosher market the other day, they had a display of corned meats. My husband loves corned beef,  and when I saw they had corned turkey roasts, I decided that this would be perfect. I rarely make turkey, so this would be a special treat.  My aunt makes a great corned turkey, and swears that when she makes it, it tastes a bit like ham. I can’t be the judge of that, but this corned turkey came out pretty good, and would be perfect for a Thanksgiving/Chanukah holiday dinner mashup. It’s also great for any shabbat or festive dinner.

The corned turkey comes vaccum-sealed and wrapped in twine. I recommend rinsing the turkey well before cooking. You first boil the turkey for about an hour and a half, then you glaze it and bake it further. I took the twine off before baking, but left it on while I let it simmer. I added some pickling spice and onions to the water bath.

For the glaze, I usually make something similar to what I do for corned beef, but since I have Thanksgiving on my mind, I created a cranberry glaze for this dish. It worked out well! I will definitely do it again!

corned-turkey-cooking

 

Cranberry Glazed Corned Turkey Roast
 
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Recipe type: Poultry, Thansgiving, Main Course
Ingredients
  • 3 lb corned turkey roast (If you can't get corned turkey where you live, you can substitute corned beef)
  • 2 tbsp. pickling spice
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • ½ can whole berry cranberry sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp. white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. chopped rosemary
  • 1 tbsp. chopped thyme
  • 2 tsp. chopped ginger
  • 2 tbsp. chili sauce
  • 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
Instructions
  1. Rinse the corned turkey roast.
  2. Place the turkey in a large pot of water. Add the pickling spice and the onion. Bring the water to a boil. Turn down the heat and cover with a lid. Simmer for an hour to and hour and a half.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375.
  4. After the hour and a half, transfer the turkey roast to a baking pan.
  5. Mix up the rest of the ingredients and pour over the turkey.
  6. Bake in the oven for around 40 minutes.
  7. Baste the turkey every 20 minutes with the sauce.
  8. Remove from the oven. Let cool a few minutes.
  9. Slice and serve.
  10. Enjoy!

Cranberry-Turkey

Filed Under: Chanukah, Dinner, hanukkah, Main Course, poultry, Thanksgiving · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The No-Potato Passover: Cookbook Review and Giveaway

March 14, 2013 · by ·

It was another cookbook mail day in this house. Another day of excitement. I recently received the The No Potato Passover cookbook by Aviva Kanoff. Before this showed up at my door step, I had heard many good things about this cookbook. Just the title alone had me intrigued.

Aviva Kanoff uses this cookbook to take us on a tour of her various travels. Her food spans all cuisines, and just happens to be kosher for Passover. The book stresses that you don’t have to eat a dozen eggs and a pound of potatoes to have a good and filling meal. Using whole veggies and proteins,  you will not miss the potatoes. When looking for a starch, Kanoff turns to spaghetti squash and quinoa – two fabulous and healthy alternatives.

The cookbook itself is sure to please many of you. It is filled with recipes and photos. A photo is available for each recipe in the book. The book covers everything from salads to desserts. The most complicated ingredients in this book are imitation soy sauce and imitation mustard. For the most part, the recipe ingredients are easy to find. You don’t need to have a specialty kosher store to make these dishes. I especially loved the variety of salad recipes. Many of the recipes are ones that I would use year-round.

One recipe that intrigued me was the Poached Peach & Chicken Salad. I definitely see myself serving this for an upcoming holiday lunch meal. I am including the recipe below.

Poached Peach & Chicken Salad
(The No Potato Passover by Aviva Kanoff, February 2013, Hardcover, $29.99)

Ingredients:

¾ cup balsamic vinegar
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt & ground black pepper
2 peaches
(12 oz. total), halved & pitted
4½ tsp. olive oil
4 cups baby greens

Chicken:
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1½ tsp. paprika
1⁄8 tsp. garlic powder
1⁄8 tsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. rosemary
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare a medium gas or charcoal grill fire. (Note: If you don’t have a grill, you can
cook the chicken in a sauté pan in its marinade.)
2. Combine vinegar and thyme in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium
heat.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the mixture is thick, syrupy, and
reduced to ¼ cup, about 6-9 minutes.
4. Cook peaches in the syrup for 2 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat, discard
the thyme sprigs, and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
5. Season chicken and grill or sauté in a pan until cooked.
6. In a medium bowl, toss the baby greens with the remaining 2½ tsp. oil and season to
taste with salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter.
7. Top with the chicken and peaches. Drizzle with about 2 tbsp. of the reduced
balsamic, adding more to taste. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining
juice from chicken and peaches.
Tip: Substitute chicken with 1/4 cup feta cheese for a dairy meal.

I am thrilled to let you know that I have one cookbook available for a giveaway. Don’t forget to enter! You will love this book!


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Filed Under: cookbook, passover, product review · Tagged: , , , , ,

Cottage Cheese Latkes

December 28, 2011 · by ·

Chanukah isn’t over yet! There is still time to post some of the Chanukah goodies I made.

It was the first night of Chanukah. I felt obliged to do something in the spirit of the holiday. The big kid isn’t a huge potato fan though. I didn’t want to smell up the house with hot oil and then have to figure out more dinner for the rest of the family. I thought back to the time when the big kid was just a weed toddler and loved the cottage cheese latkes I made. I think I made them just that one time, about 8 years ago. The bonus is that they seem like more of a complete dinner than the regular potato latke.
Lo and behold, both kids loved them! 

Cottage Cheese Latkes
Ingredients
1 lb. small curd cottage cheese (medium container)
2 extra large eggs
1/4 cup flour (gluten free flour works too)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
vegetable oil


Mix everything up in a bowl. Yes, it’s that easy.

Take out a fry pan and heat up some vegetable oil.

Take a big spoon of the batter and drop in to the pan. I like them to be around 2-3 inches wide. Don’t mess with the latke until you are sure it is ready to flip. The cheese latke should be a little brown on the edges before you flip it.  It will also flip easier when it’s done on that side. The melty cheese will stick to the pan before it’s ready.  Cook another 2-3 minutes once flipped. Drain on a plate covered with paper towels.


Enjoy!

Filed Under: Brunch, Chanukah, Side Dish · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
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