Potato Latkes

Today is the last day of Hanukkah and as feasts unfold in homes across the continent one dish is sure to be served. But it isn't the potato that is significant, it is the oil. When the Jerusalem Temple was recaptured and reconsecrated there was only enough oil to last for a day. Miraculously the oil burned and provided light for eight nights.  That was enough time to make more oil.

Potato latkes are best served right out of the pan and onto the plate. Potatoes are traditional but latkes are also made with sweet potatoes. Serve with applesauce and sour cream. Small latkes are perfect for serving with creme fraiche and caviar.

Potato Latkes

2 pounds large russet (baking) potatoes (about 4)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large onion (1 pound)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 250 F with rack in upper third.

Peel potatoes and coarsely grate into a bowl using large teardrop-shaped holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with medium shredding disk. Add lemon juice and toss to coat.

Coarsely grate onion into same bowl. Transfer to a kitchen towel (not terry cloth), then gather up corners to form a sack and twist tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.

Wipe bowl clean, then return potatoes and onion to bowl and stir in flour, eggs, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt until just combined.

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Fill a 1/4-cup measure halfway with latke mixture and carefully spoon it into skillet, then flatten to 3 inches in diameter with a slotted spatula.

Form 5 more latkes in skillet and fry until undersides are deep golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. If latkes brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium. Turn over and fry until deep golden on the other side, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then transfer to a metal rack set in a baking pan and keep warm in oven. Make more latkes.

Latkes can be kept warm in oven up to 1 hour.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions with Individual Pommes Anna

As I organize and make list after list for my upcoming drive to Victoria, BC (read 'seafood') I am still reminded by tummy growls that I must make food. I am a recovered hoarder and now check my freezer first before planning meals. I have a beautiful naturally raised pork tenderloin from Carmen Corner Meats in Waldheim, SK. And I still have market potatoes and carrots.

Rather than grill up the entire tenderloin as I usually do I decided to cut it into medallions and then pan grill. After making this recipe I have decided that it is a good one to make for a crowd. It is relatively inexpensive yet looks elegant. It can be prepped in advance and cooked all at once in a large pan. If I was catering this would be on my menu for sure.

Pommes Anna, obviously a French version of a potato dish, has been cropping up a lot lately. Ditto this for a crowd. I made mine in a muffin tin for an individual size serving but it could also be made in a pan and cut into squares for serving.

I like easy peasey recipes and have also been wanting to play with my piment d'esplette that I purchased back in the spring. Time flies, doesn't it. I have already kept it long enough. Ground spices and herbs have a shelf life of up to 2 years. Some say 12 months.

Piment d'esplette is the champagne of hot chiles in more way than one. It is a chili pepper that is cultivated in the Basque region of France in the Atlantic Pyrenees. These peppers were introduced from Mexico in the 16th century. Initially they were used medicinally but later became a staple in flavouring their food. Now it has AOC status. This is appellation d'origine de contrȏlée which translates to 'controlled designation of origin'. So you see, it is like champagne. Unless it comes from the Esplette region it cannot have this name.

What is so special about this chile, you say? It is only 4000 on the Scoville scale of heat so it isn't that hot but it is packed with flavour. It has a slightly smokey flavour. It has replaced black pepper in many Basque recipes.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions

1 small pork tenderloin
8 - 10 slices bacon
sea salt
piment d'esplette

Remove tenderloin from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you will be cooking. Season generously with piment d'esplette and sea salt. Cut into medallions the thickness of the bacon slice.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Slowly sauté slices of bacon in a heavy grill pan or cast iron pan until browned but not crispy. If they are too crispy they won't wrap around the medallions. Wrap medallions with the bacon pieces and secure with a toothpick. Season both top and bottom of the medallion with more piment d'esplette and sea salt. It is a thick piece of meat and the seasoning has to compensate for that so be liberal.

Over medium heat in the same pan used for the bacon place the medallions flat side down and sauté until bottom is golden, about 3 or 4 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side. Place the pan in the oven and continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink in the centre. An internal temperature of 145 F is ideal. Remove from the oven and tent with foil until ready to serve.

Mini Pommes Anna

small potatoes
butter
garlic
fresh thyme
sea salt

Peel potatoes and slice with a mandoline so they are almost transparent thin. I don't have a mandolin so I used my box grater. You know, that side you never use? It worked perfectly to make very thin slices.

Melt butter and brush each muffin tin with the butter. Place a round piece of parchment paper on the bottom of each muffin. Place a small sprig of thyme and then drizzle about half a teaspoon of butter in each cup.

Add minced garlic and more chopped thyme to the butter. 

If you are not immediately using the sliced potatoes put them in a bowl of cold water. If left in the air they may discolour. Before using, drain the water and dry the potatoes in a clean tea towel. Place in a bowl and drizzle with the seasoned butter and mix well.

Arrange the potato sliced in each muffin cup. Press down and fill as high as possible. It will wilt down during cooking. Cover tightly with tin foil and bake in 350 F oven for about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until tender and nicely browned on the edges.

Garlic and Herb Oven Fries

This month with the Cooking Light Supper Club we are allowing ourselves an indulgence, lightened up. One of my favourite indulgences is french fries. Don't get me started on those or I will be having them several times a week. I can honestly say that I can count on one hand the number of times I have eaten french fries since Christmas! This truly is a treat for me this month.

This recipe really works. The fries were crispy. I ate without the guilt of buying fast food. If you are one to love them with aioli this recipe will please you. The garlic butter they are tossed in hits the spot. To alleviate my guilt even more, I had them with my  homemade catsup. Did you know that a tablespoon of catsup contains one teaspoon of sugar? That is just gross. Making catsup is so worth it. My recipe for homemade catsup is here.

Check out the rest of our group for more amazing flavours you will want to make.

 

Sandi – Filet with Bourbon Coffee Sauce. 

Val - Salt Roasted Shrimp with Lemon Honey Dipping Sauce

Susan – Shrimp, Chorizo and Corn Salad

Shelby – Mirin Mushrooms

Jerry- Lemon Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

 

Garlic and Herb Oven Fries

Serves 6 (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

2 lb. potatoes
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a roasting pan and oven to 450F. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch matchsticks. Toss with oil. Arrange in pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Turn oven to broil. Broil 20 minutes or until browned, turning once. Melt butter in skillet. Add minced garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add fries. Cook 1 minute. Toss with salt and pepper.

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light
JULY 2012

Salmon Potato Pie

Last year I visited Osoyoos in British Columbia for the Slow Food Canada conference. Osoyoos is on the southern end of Okanagan Lake and just minutes from the U. S. border. It is also at the northern tip of the Sonoran Desert. Mental images of desert are a reality when you visit in the summer. The temperatures are high and rainfall low. The lake is rimmed with mountains and benches. I cannot imagine a more beautiful setting for vineyards and orchards.

It was at this conference that I learned about the Okanagan sockeye. Over the past century hydropower dams have been built downstream making it impossible for the salmon to return to the Lake. It has been so long since there have been salmon in the lake that someone like myself, not a local, didn't even realize they ever were there. Now a joint US/Canada effort of building fish ladders have allowed the salmon to come upstream and spawn. The levels of salmon in the lake now allow for sport and commercial fishing. You can read all about the return of the sockeye salmon in Canadian Geographic here.

I bought a can of this salmon to bring home. I have been saving it for a special occasion but I think I am a food hoarder. Today I am making it as a treat for myself.

As a child on the farm in Saskatchewan we always had hired hands. My father particularly liked the hardworking young men from a neighbouring farm. They had a large family and easily could allow one to work outside the home and they were good workers. We always had fish on Friday. Although we were not Catholic, they were and we made the meal to respect their beliefs. Tinned salmon made more than one appearance on our prairie dinner-time table.

Apparently this tradition of tinned salmon was also popular in New Brunswick. Browsing through the cookbook A Collage of Canadian Cooking, I found this recipe. Here is my traditional meatless Friday meal using my Okanagan sockeye salmon with a recipe from New Brunswick.

Pate aux Patates et au Saumon   (Salmon Potato Pie)

pastry for double pie shell
3 cups mashed potatoes (mashed with milk)  750 mL
1 can (419 g) salmon, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons butter                                          30 mL
2 tablespoons chopped onion                            30 mL
1 tablespoon each celery & carrot, chopped     15 mL
1/2 teaspoon Chesapeake Bay Style seasoning    2 mL
salt and pepper
milk to brush the crust

Line 9-inch pie plate with pastry.

Fold potatoes and flaked salmon together lightly.

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add onion and saute until tender, but not brown. Fold into potato-salmon mixture. Season with savory, salt and pepper.

Fill pastry-lined pie plate with potato mixture. Place top pastry over filling. Seal and crimp edges. Cut slashes in top.

Bake in preheated 425F oven 40-45 minutes until crust is golden.

This is my entry this month for The Canadian Food Experience. Click on this link after the 15th and you will see all the entries from across this grand country of ours.

Dried Fava and Potato Puree with Kale

 
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I am spending Christmas with my sister, Trish, in Edmonton. This 8 hour drive in the winter can be a tad stressful. It was all I could do to put my car in reverse and back out of the driveway Monday morning. At 8am it is still pitch dark and the winds were howling at 70 km/hr. We had a lot of snow so I was envisioning poor visibility and, at worst,snow drifts across the lesser used Hwy #4.

My first hour of driving was exactly that. At times visibility was down to a few hundred feet and it was dark for at least an hour. No snow drifts, thank heaven. I arrived safe and sound.

Christmas was with our cousins and we don't have tons of leftovers for easy meals. Today I decided to start cooking. My sister is vegetarian and has a large selection of dried peas & beans, lentils and grains. I thought I would have a little fun with them and give Trish some variety and new ideas for meals. We can all use that once in awhile.

While I have cooked with fresh fava beans I have never tried the dried version. They have a tough outer skin that is not digestible. Some may find this adds too much fibre to their diet. Removing this also makes it easier to mash. This trumped up mashed potatoes becomes a nutritious and hearty side dish. The recipe calls for dandelion greens, however they are out of season. The kale tastes just as good.

Fava beans are a significant source of protein, iron, calcium and dietary fibre. They have lesser amounts of Vitamins A and C. They are low in sodium and fat. Kale is high in Vitamin A and C.

 

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Dried Fava and Potato Puree with Kale

Bon Appétit  | May 2010

    8 ounces dried fava beans* (about 1 1/2 cups)

    1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped peeled Yukon Gold potato (about 5 ounces)

    3/4 cup coarsely chopped white onion

    1/2 cup coarsely chopped peeled carrot

    Pinch of salt

    3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

    3 or 4 pieces of kale, remove the tough stem and only use leaves

    1 garlic clove, peeled, minced

    Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper

    Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place fava beans in medium bowl. Pour enough water over to cover by 2 inches. Cover and let soak at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse.

Place fava beans in large saucepan and covered with water. Simmer uncovered until beans are very soft, stirring occasionally and adding more boiling water as needed to keep beans submerged, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Peel off outer shell  from beans and discard.

In another pot add potatoes, onion, carrot water, salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.

Combine potato and bean mixture ransfer and puree until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer fava bean puree to serving bowl.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add kale, garlic, and crushed red pepper; sauté until greens wilt, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place greens on top of fava bean puree. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

* Available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian and Middle Eastern markets.

Test-kitchen tip: Keep a pot of boiling water on the stove so you can add boiling water to the beans as needed.

Casual Friday - Potato Latkes

Casual Friday!  I am hosting Casual Fridays.  Be my guest.  Drop in for ideas for simple and casual meals. 

If there are any bloggers out there that would like to join in, just let me know. You can opt in and out as you wish. There is no need to commit. We can have a virtual Casual Friday! It would be so much fun to share.  Email me at sgalvin 'at' shaw.ca to join in the fun.  Or if you would like to guest post for Casual Friday I would be honoured.

This will be an interesting journey.  I am looking forward to getting out of the rut with casual food.  I keep a well stocked freezer and pantry.  This will encourage me to rummage through and pull out something different every week. I hope you do, too.

I was introduced to potato latkes when I was invited to a friend's home during Hanukkah.  Her uncle had the auspicious title as the best latke maker in the family.

Latkes are traditionally served with sour cream and apple sauce but you can up the ante with a bit of smoked salmon or caviar to make it dressy.  You could also drizzle the sour cream with a bit of truffle oil to add a touch of glam.

For variety you can make these using sweet potatoes or add some grated carrots or parsnips along with the potatoes.  Serve with a piece of poached or pan sauteed salmon and steamed green vegetables.

Latkes are one of those dishes that when you have made it once, you no longer need a recipe.  They are pretty easy to put together.  Potato, egg, flour, salt, pepper, onion...that's it.  A perfect latke is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I just cleaned my stovetop this morning and didn't want to do it all over again after frying latkes.  This oven method worked great.

Potato Latkes

• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 425F.

Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand transferring to a large bowl of cold water as grated.  Soak for 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water.  Soaking in the water will prevent the potatoes from turning colour.  Then drain well in colander.

Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up.  Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.  Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg, salt, pepper and flour.

Line a baking sheet with a silpat and liberally brush with olive oil.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of potato mixture per latke, spreading into 3 inch rounds.

Bake until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes.  Turn over and bake again until bottoms are golden, about 8 more minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. 

Latkes may be made up to 8 hours ahead.  Reheat on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 350F oven, about 5 minutes.

These appetizers are a take on the traditional latkes. Click on this link to view the recipe.

Living Local...Sunday Night Dinner

The summer is so crazy busy for me and passing by more quickly than a Saskatchewan funnel cloud.  It is hot, humid and the weeds are growing taller than my Thai basil.  I have not spent much time cooking for myself.  But now that all the wonderful vegetables, fruits & berries, and herbs are being harvested I can no longer resist and must sit down to the table.

Today I present Black Welsh lamb from Val at Newland's Ranch.  I didn't buy it at the Market because they butchered a couple of months ago but I still consider it seasonal.  My specialty salts were purchased in Victoria and contain the only Canadian sea salt available.  Check out Sea to Sky Seasonings.  Baby beets and potatoes are at the Market, rosemary and sorrel are in my garden.

I do say that there is nothing more satisfying than a nicely prepared meal with quality ingredients.  Be creative and serve up some fresh food tonight.  This meal has been made 'stove top' so I did not have to turn on the oven on such a hot day.  I enjoyed a flute of La Chasse du Pape Blanc de Blancs bubbly.  In the winter I would definitely have a robust red, but it is a hot day and champagne compliments everything I can think of.  This is almost champagne.

My dinner tonight is....

Black Welsh Lamb Loin Chops finished with Commercial Drive Salt

Pan Roasted Rosemary Baby Potatoes with Toasted Pinenuts

Roasted Baby Beets and Chevre in an Orange Olive Oil Vinaigrette with Davie Street Salt on a bed of Garden Sorrel

To make the pan roasted baby potatoes, wash and quarter baby potatoes.  Place cut side down in a preheated pan with a little olive oil.  Turn the potatoes to brown on all sides.  Snip fresh rosemary over and serve with toasted pine nuts.  Toast pine nuts in a dry pan until lightly browned.

The beets can be tossed in a little olive oil and baked in the oven until tender.  Oven roasting brings out the sweetness and robust flavour.  You can also bake them on a barbecue for a wonderful smoky flavour.  Orange juice and olive oil are combined with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt for a simple dressing.  Top with soft chevre or goat cheese.

For the lamb. lightly heat a pan with a little olive oil.  Place the lamb in the hot pan and turn when browned.  Lower the heat to cook until the desired doneness.  Finish with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.