A taste of tradition for the holiday season: Chanukah treats

Irene Nehemiah’s Potato Latkes

By MARCIA NEHEMIAH

My mother is wont to give recipes in the “Jewish Mother” style: “stir in a little of this and add a pinch of that.” Over the years, after much observation and numerous phone calls, I have developed a more precise version of Irene’s recipe for potato latkes.

Instead of grating the potatoes by hand, I’ve updated the recipe so that I can use a food processor, a newfangled device my mother would never abide in her kitchen. I confess to never having grated the potatoes and onions by hand; I don’t like the sight of blood when I’m preparing food.

INGREDIENTS

3 large potatoes

1 medium onion, cut in quarters

2 eggs

¾ cup matzo meal

Salt and black pepper to taste

Vegetable oil

PROCEDURE

Coarsely chop the onion in food processor using chopping blade. Set chopped onion aside in a large mixing bowl. Feed potatoes through the feed tube using the medium shredding blade. Place shredded potatoes in a colander in the sink. Place a small plate on top of the potatoes in the colander and press out the excess liquid. When as much liquid as possible is pressed out of the potatoes, add the potatoes to the bowl with onion.

Add eggs and mix well. Add ½ cup of matzo meal, salt and pepper and mix. If the mixture is too wet to bind together, add more matzo meal to get the proper consistency. If it is too dry, add another egg. The batter may discolor, but that will disappear when you cook the latkes.

Heat about ¼ inch of oil on medium-high heat. A cast-iron skillet works best if you have one. Spoon enough batter into the skillet to make a 3-inch circle. Press down the batter with the spoon and let it fry until golden brown on one side, about five minutes. Then flip the pancake and cook on the opposite side.

Drain on paper towels and place on a plate in a warmed oven until all the latkes are cooked.

Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce.

Sweet Dairy

Noodle Kugel

By FRANN HAFKIN

Dairy foods are traditional during the week of Chanukah. A dairy food refers to a recipe that contains no meat or meat by products. This recipe is an updated version of my mother’s noodle kugel, which was always one of my favorites. In Yiddish, kugel translates to pudding. Happy Chanukah to all!

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces cottage cheese

8 ounces sour cream

16 ounces applesauce

1 pound wide egg noodles

6 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

8 ounces raisins

PROCEDURE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook egg noodles as directed on package and drain. Do not add salt. Mix noodles with remaining ingredients in a large bowl and blend thoroughly. Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. (I do not substitute with any reduced or low fat products. We prefer the creamy “sweet” taste. I use a four-quart Pyrex glass dish to bake my kugel.)