Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Latkes! (now with recipe)

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Breaking news: Around the Island Photography is sponsoring a giveaway! Visit Kate Coveny Hood, one of my favorite bloggers and all around do-gooding soul, over at The Big Piece of Cake for a chance to win an 8x10 print of any one of my images. Don't stop there though - Kate is running an entire MONTH of giveaways featuring those small independent artists, designers and shops whose products sometimes get lost in the Big Box Store shuffle. She's got a whole host of exciting giveaways going on all month - enter now for a chance to win fabulous prizes and discover these amazing shops (there is some SERIOUS talent over there!) for yourself.
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Click to enlarge, and visit Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't saying this week.

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Hannukah starts this Friday night. May your lives, and your latkes*, be deliciously light and joyful.
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* Latkes are potato pancakes fried in oil and they, along with sufganiyot (jelly donuts), are a traditional Hannukah food. That's my kind of holiday tradition.
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Several people have asked for my latke recipe. This one, slightly adapted from the one in Naomi Howland's storybook Latkes Latkes Good to Eat is our family's favorite:
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3 large potatoes
2 eggs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbl flour
vegetable oil
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1. Peel the potatoes and rinse them in cold water. Grate very fine. Place the grated potatoes in a colander and run cold water over them to keep them from turning black. Using your hands, squeeze out all the water.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the onion, salt and flour (this is where families with less picky children would also add pepper and about 1 Tbl finely chopped parsley). Stir.
3. Add grated potatoes and mix well.
4. Heat a small amount of oil to sizzling in a large frying pan. Drop mixture by the large spoonful into the oil and flatten into a "pancake" shape. Cook until golden brown underneath, flip, and cook the second side until golden brown.
5. Eat right away. Latkes are traditionally served with applesauce and/or sour cream.
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42 comments:

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Oh, those look heavenly.

May your festival of lights be bright, happy, and full of light. And low on calories! :D

Anonymous said...

I've never tasted those. THey look good :) I hope you all have a wonderful Hannukah :)

Jael said...

Mmmm,latkes:-) It was nice meeting you today Robin! And Chag Hannukah Sameah!

ninja said...

I wanted to try latkes ever since I've heard about'em and now seeing your photo I discovered it's a dish I knew all my life only under a different name.

Dina said...

They look perfect. I'll keep working on mine.

Robin said...

You're going to laugh Dina, but we use the recipe in the back of the kids' book Latkes Latkes Good to Eat :).

It was lovely meeting you too today Yael, we should definitely do it again.

Tammy said...

I want to come eat at your house!

quilly said...

Oh yum! I had a friend whose grandfather used to make Latkes for us. They were yummy. I wish I was at your house right now!

Happy Hannukah!

kayerj said...

they do look yummy, I'm looking forward to your posts and learning all about Hannukah!

Jill said...

Yours look so much nicer than mine... I've made more latkes in the past week than I've made in years! They're so delish, I don't know why I don't do it more often!

Mojo said...

Haven't had those in ... wow. Years. There used to be a German place here in town that specialized in an amazing assortment of kartoffelpuffers (which is just so much fun to say!). I hate it's not there anymore.

catsynth said...

Yikes, I lost track of the fact that it was starting this Friday!

Happy Hannukah and Happy WW!

Jew Wishes said...

What a wonderful photo, Robin, and I can almost smell the scent of those delicious looking latkes.

May you have a joyous and illuminating Hanukkah.

Sukhmandir Kaur said...

Food is one of the best things about holidays! That and the opportunity to take a step back and reflect and give praise.

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Mmmm . . . I've never had latkes, but those look delicious! :D

Stan said...

Happy Hannukah to you and yours. Looks like there is going to be some good food involved.

Indrani said...

Have a great Hannukah!
Yum shot. :)

Sara Elizabeth said...

I have never eaten latkes before, but it sure does look yummy!

SandyCarlson said...

I hear the sizzle! Yum!

Liz Mays said...

I've never tried them but they look delicious!

Daisy Deadhead said...

Happy Hanukkah! As a kid, when I learned that my friend got presents ALL WEEK LONG, I (seriously) asked my mom, could we have Hanukkah AND Christmas? :)

Are those vegetarian? I need to learn to make em. Potatoes are the staff of life!

Robin said...

They've got egg, Daisy. They're basically just grated potatoes, grated onion, an egg, a bit of flour, and salt and pepper to taste. Some people add parsley too but my kids won't eat them that way.

Kate Coveny Hood said...

I love latkes. Maybe we'll make some this weekend.

Thanks for plugging the giveaways!

Beth said...

Yum, they look delicious!! I can almost smell them cooking! Happy WW, and have a great Hanukkah!

Rob Monroe said...

((Drool...))

Happy WW and Happy Hanukkah!

moneythoughts said...

My Mom made Latkes what seems now like a 100 years ago. And, we ate them with sour cream too. Your latkes look good too. Enjoy! Happy Hannukah!

Arjun Sen said...

Wow! Love your blog! What a perfect concept... around the island :)

Thanks for your well wishes on my book's blog. Hopefully my parenting story will help inspire many through my book! Thousands sold already in the first couple months, lets hope it keeps this up!

Julia Phillips Smith said...

Mmm...yummy! Now I want some.

Dragonfly Lady said...

hey! I haven't had breakfast yet!! They look divine...mmmmm

http://www.gardenersreach.com/post/The-Fable-of-the-Christmas-Poinsettia.aspx

Daryl said...

Oh these could make me think about cooking ... but its a long way from thinking to peeling, grating and frying... good thing ToonMan doesnt visit your blog ... he loves potato pancakes ..

Melanie @ Whimsical Creations said...

Those look so yummy!

storyteller said...

Oh so tempting ;-)
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Hannukah season!
Hugs and blessings,
Small Reflections

Carver said...

Those look delicious. Happy Hannukah.

Anonymous said...

What a great Wordless Wednesday! Hope you have a fantastic day!

Grace said...

Hello Robin,
My grandmother used to make potato pancakes(latkes)and I can picture her baking in the oven in her loaf pan.
Your latke photo spurred me to cook some carrot-potato pancakes for lunch, I hope to save some for my husband. Can you post your recipe?

Brenda said...

I've never had latkes before but they look delicious!

Anonymous said...

Happy Hannukah! Those look delicious...

Shannon said...

Sign me up! Your latkes look amazing! Happy Hannukah, my friend. Oh and I am so entering to win that photo. I need the tree and the other flower to finish off my upstairs hallway.

Claremont First Ward said...

Thank you. Wishing you a joyful holiday season.

Your new photography site is fantastic!

Stacy Uncorked said...

I've never had those before, but they look REALLY good!! :)

Grace said...

Thanks Robin, enjoy your day's preparations.

Looking forward to the recipe even though the photo was for Wordless Wednesday!

Jen said...

My mouth is watering. I LOVE latkes. :)