There are so many variations that you can make on the basic latke, or potato cake. They can be baked instead of fried, but we really love the crispness that you can only get with pan frying. You don’t have to use tons of oil…just a smidge of olive oil will do the trick.

Potatoes can be joined by many other vegetables, and I suggest that you experiment to see what you like best, but try the basics first! Carrots, parsnips, green onions, squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, leeks, and many other veggies make good latke companions. Additionally, many folks add some matzo meal, or flour and leavening ingredients to make them more pancakey. We like them that way too, but our favorite is still the stripped down potato and vegetable version.

Basic Potato Latkes

2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, shredded
Large yellow onion, shredded
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Optional for serving: applesauce, sour cream

Mix potatoes through salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Dip out by 1/3 cup measures and fry in olive oil until golden brown, turning once. Turn them carefully, as they fall apart easily. Serve immediately as they are finished; they lose their crispness quickly.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Basic latkes

Oh how I love a heaping plateful of this savory goodness! This is one of my ultimate comfort foods, because I love the saltiness (helped by additional salt added at the table), the warmth, and the creamy deliciousness. Please, do not substitute olive or vegetable oil for the cooking butter!

I don’t care which holiday you’re celebrating or getting ready to celebrate: this is a great main dish to serve on a night when you’ve had no time for preparation.  Everyone has just walked in the door and everyone is starving! Set the kids up making toast for everyone and getting out the jams and jellies, and you can have this on the table in under thirty minutes, easy!

Matzo Brei

Butter
1 onion, chopped

3 c crumbled matzos, or matzo farfelle
Boiling water to cover

6 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt
1/2 c buttermilk or plain milk with a t of white vinegar

In a large heavy skillet, saute the onions in butter until tender. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, cover the matzo with just enough boiling water to barely cover. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly with the salt and buttermilk. Add the onions as soon as they’re ready. Mix in the softened matzo.

Add more butter to the skillet and cook the matzo brei until it is no longer runny. Don’t brown the mixture.

Image: Cyndi

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Matzo brei for Hanukkah or for Christmas eve!

This is a great beef stew to have for Rosh Hashanah, when everything is to be round and/or sweet to start off the new year right. Shallots, thyme, butternut squash, and cranberries all help to make this a savory but slightly sweet stew. We like it anytime during the fall and winter.  So I thought I’d make it tonight to celebrate the first full day of Hanukkah!

Cooked in a crock pot, you’ve got a couple of alternatives for preparation: stew the squash for a long time and it will break down like tzimmes, making the broth thick and rich (well, at least it seems rich, but there’s no added fat!). Stew it for a shorter time and the squash chunks will hold their shape. It really is up to you…we like it both ways.

Beef and Squash Stew

3 t canola oil
2 – 3 shallots, chopped

1 – 2 lb stew beef, cubed small
1 T flour
1 t thyme
1 t sage
Salt and pepper

2 14 oz cans of beef broth (or homemade)
4 – 5 c butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I buy it frozen in bags this way!)
1/2 c cranberries (slightly sweetened are fine)

Saute the shallots slightly in a heavy skillet and set them aside. Brown the beef, adding the flour and spices after the pink is all gone. Saute for an additional minute. Add a cup or so of broth, and scrape all the browned bits from the pan. Pour it all, plus the shallots, into the crock pot.

Plan to let the meat cook on low for at least four hours; more is fine. Add the cranberries. If you would like the squash really soft and somewhat incorporated into the broth, add it now. Otherwise, add it about 30 minutes before serving.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

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Beef and squash stew

Last night was the first evening of this year’s Festival of Lights!

Image: RedKid.net

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Light the candles!

I love it: they’ve titled their guide 8 Delicious Days, and it includes recipes, complete menus, and how-to videos. What more could you want, other than a take-home chef to prepare it all for you

Photo by Lara Ferroni

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Epicurious has the complete Hanukkah guide

Cooking Light has a fabulous basic recipe for Lemon curd. Maybe you don’t think lemon curd is anything to get excited about, but I sure do! It’s great stuff to serve with Strawberry shortcakes for a little taste twist, and Cooking Light also has a Lemon-Almond cake for Passover that uses the curd. It is often used as a topping for scones or English muffins, and can be used in making or topping various pies. I could easily eat it straight out of the bowl!!

Lemon Curd
Joan Nathan, Cooking Light, April 2008

1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Place sugar and eggs in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Gradually beat in rind and juice. Spoon mixture into a heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Add butter to pan; cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly (do not boil). Spoon mixture into a bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill thoroughly.
Yield 2 cups (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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Lemon curd topping

Chopped Chicken Livers

1 lb chicken livers, drained
2 large onions, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, mashed
Olive oil

2 eggs, hard boiled
Salt and pepper

Saute the livers, onions, and garlic in oil until the livers are cooked completely through. Keep the heat down so that the vegetables don’t burn. Put all the ingredients into a food processor in batches, and process until it is a paste. Serve on salad or as a spread for matzo.

Charoset

2 tart apples
1/2 c walnuts (or almonds)
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T honey
1 T sweet Passover wine

Core the apples, but don’t peel. Chop apples and walnuts either by hand or in food processor until they are all finely chopped. Stir in the rest of the ingredients by hand to make a chunky textured mixture.

Charoset is used as a part of the Seder ceremony, but is also really good on matzo at any time. Increase the recipe as much as needed.

Stock.xchng

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Passover side dishes: chicken livers and charoset

Martha makes the best cookies, although some of her recipes are just too fiddly for me. This doesn’t happen to be one of the fiddly ones, though! Beautiful chocolate chip cookies that are made with matzo and matzo farfel meals. Good quality dark chocolate. Yum I love this book, and I highly recommend it. When it first hit our public library, I had to fight off a lot of people to even get a look at it!

Martha’s recipe is available on the Martha Stewart website. My only additional suggestion is that you chill the dough before rolling and baking to keep it from spreading too much.

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Passover
Makes 2 dozen

1 cup matzo meal
1 cup matzo farfel
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together matzo meal, farfel, sugars, and salt. Whisk together eggs, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl. Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
2. Roll dough into 1-3/4-inch balls; space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

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Chocolate chip cookies for Passover

Spinach cheese bake is an excellent main dish, or can be served in smaller portions as a side dish with a large salad. It’s very tasty, and can be made with additional vegetables if you want to make it more hearty. Since it takes an hour to cook thoroughly, I’d suggest using thawed frozen spinach to save some prep time, and definitely make sure that all the veggies you decide to use have been pre-chopped during your once a week food prep time.

Spinach Cheese Bake

2 c cottage cheese
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or crumbled
10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed
6 T matzo meal
1 clove of garlic, mashed
Salt and pepper
Sliced mushrooms and/or other vegetables (optional)

6 eggs, beaten

Combine all the ingredients except for the eggs in a large bowl and mix well. Add the beaten eggs and mix again. Pour into a 8×12 greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for one hour, until top is golden brown.

Image: Stock.xchng

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Spinach cheese bake for Passover

This is too tasty to save just for Passover! Even though it takes some time to make, since you’ve got to prepare mashed potatoes beforehand, and then it needs to cook for about 45 minutes, the really good thing is that is keeps really well in the freezer. Yup! a make-ahead OAMC recipe for Passover and beyond!

Meat and Mashed Potato Pie

4 c mashed potatoes (3 good sized potatoes should do it)

Olive oil
Onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1-1/2 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken)
Salt and pepper
Paprika
1/2 c mushrooms, sliced
In a heavy skillet, saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the beef, and seasonings, and brown the meat. Add the mushrooms and cook for just one more minute.

Spray a 10 inch pie plate and spread with half of the mashed potatoes. Add the meat mixture, and top with the rest of the potatoes. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with more paprika before serving. Gotta love that paprika!

Image: Stock.xchng

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Meat and mashed potato pie for Passover