Journal SolemnDragon's Journal: In the kitchen with the Twins: Latkes 16
Good: It's been brought to our attention that we have been SEVERELY remiss and owe somebody a latke recipe.
Evil: And latkes are yummy.
(Evil reaches over and takes a wooden spoon away from Wicked, who has been using it to imaginary-swordfight. Wicked is wearing a colander on her head, with her braids strung through the handles. She holds a pot lid as a shield.)
Good: Start with half a dozen good-sized potatoes. This recipe is only enough for a couple of people. For more than two people, you'll need more potatoes.
Evil: Latkes are not intended to be eaten in moderation.
Good: although we'll give you some tips later for freezing, so that you can do just that.
Evil: For now, wash half a dozen potatoes.
Good: You're going to need to grate them, so plan to use either your muscles, a food processor-
Evil: Or a galley slave. We don't have any of those today, because SOME of us are woefully underprepared- (She shoots a baleful glare at the other two) so we're going to use a food processor. Medium-coarse blade. You want grated, not pureed.
Good: Remember, always follow manufacturer's instructions for using a food processor.
Wicked: You need a bowl! And an egg! and a box of corn flakes!
Good: Well, you need an egg and a bowl. And a quarter cup of matzo meal, corn flake crumbs, or even flour or cornstarch. (she holds a mixing bowl out to Wicked, who is sitting on a counter now, rooting around in the cornflakes box for the prize. Wicked drops a handful of crushed cornflakes into the bowl.) You can drain the potatoes if they are very wet, but we don't bother.
Evil: Add the egg, and a little salt, and maybe pepper if that's your thing. Add a few healthy dashes of ground celery seed, and a teaspoon of brown sugar.
Good: Mix well.
Evil: Now set something on fire, because you're going to need to cook. (Wicked looks up, fishes in her pocket, and holds out the zippo.)
Good: In this case, we're going to use the stove. In a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, heat 1/4 inch of oil. You want it hot, but not hot enough to smoke. Remember to have baking soda and a pot lid handy to smother a fire, if necessary. (Wicked picks up the pot lid from next to herself and slams it down on the stove, putting out the flame of the burner.)
Evil: Umm... Wicked? That was SUPPOSED to be on fire. (Wicked, much abashed, sets fire to an oven mitt and uses it to relight the burner. She then drops the flaming oven mitt into the sink, where Evil runs water over it to put it out.)
Good: We're just going to pretend that that didn't happen. (She picks up the bowl full of potato mix.) Now, spoon about a quarter cup into the oil, and mash it into a pancake with the spoon. Let it brown a bit on one side, turn over, and brown the other. Take out, and put on several layers of paper towel to drain.
Evil: If you're making a big batch, you can freeze them drained and cooked, and reheat them later on a cookie sheet in the oven. Or you can freeze them raw and wrapped in waxed paper, but the colour may change a little. Don't worry about it, just cook them frozen. Make sure that the oil isn't quite as hot, so you can be sure the inside thawed and cooked.
Good: We recommend having a latke party and cooking about fifteen pounds of potatoes for five people.
Evil: oh, about the oil. We use grapeseed and safflower, but you can use corn oil if you don't care about health benefits. Use something light-tasting that has a hot cooking temperature. You want these babies to COOK.
Good: But not to summon the fire department. There's a no-oil recipe floating around somewhere, we'll take a look for it. When you serve them, serve them with applesauce or sour cream. We like ours with applesauce.
Wicked: (finally fishing her prize- a little doll- out of the cornflakes.) Because applesauce is yummy! Can i have some boiling oil? (She starts tying a piece of string to the doll)
Evil: Yes.
Good: No.
Wicked: Right then. Call me when the latkes are ready. (she heads for the door. ) Mr. Henries! Ready the catapult!
Yay! (Score:1)
1) Does the type of potato matter? Russets? Idahos? Yukon Gold? Some are starchier than others.
2) Where did you find a box of Corn Flakes with a prize in it? I always hated when my parents bought that or Cheerios or Wheaties because they weren't the types of cereals that had prizes.
Thanks for the recipie!
Re:Yay! (Score:2)
Evil: I buy the corn flakes at the Evil Mart. Open 24/7, guns, dynamite, alcohol, and milk, for your busy Evil lifestyle.
Good: It doesn't matter what kind of potato, though you may find that idahos are ideal. You WANT starch, but you'll need to add less crumbs/flour to accommodate it.
Wicked: i ALWAYS get prizes. (She holds up her half-melted doll)
Good: (whispering) Sometimes we add prizes in between, just so there's always an extra. Otherwise, she and that camel of hers will eat through every
Dreidels & Cast Iron Skillets (Score:2)
But I'm mainly using this as an excuse because in my big post I forgot to write about cast iron skillets. I really like the idea, and I tried to use them but I n
Re:Dreidels & Cast Iron Skillets (Score:2)
Seasoning is actually a process of carbonising oil. Burning. That's right. But for this reason, you want an oil that isn't going to get too sticky and one that carbonises at high heat. I use corn oil. But we'll get to that. First things first- wash the skillet. Take a look at it. Is there rust? You have to remove that, first. I use my dremel with a sanding pad, it's easier for me than the effor
Awesome! (Score:2)
So when do they get their own show on the Food Network? They can take over Bobby Flay's spot (arrogant little buttpimple, if you ask me), or maybe come on right after Emiril!
Comment removed (Score:3)
Re:Did you ever read any Robert Crumb comics? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Did you ever read any Robert Crumb comics? (Score:2)
I would like to take this opportunity to nominate Mr. Natural to be the head of the Office of Homeland Security.
I thought I had posted something similar to this but it isn't there now. This is why we need a new head of Homeland Security!
Woohoo! (Score:2)
Them's good stuff (Score:1)
Anyway. I've always made latkes using potatoes only. You need quite starchy potatoes for this, though; otherwise, you'll just end up with a plateful of (tasty) cooked grated potatoes. Add salt and/or spices according to your tastes.
recipe (Score:1)
Vary that slightly (Score:2)
Argh (Score:1)
And then it was ruined.
Sigh. And I like latkes. I'll have to try this recipe one of these days.
Onions (Score:2)
Well, you can just make them without the onions, but I think traditionally they are supposed to have onions in them. First of all, I really like onions. Second, they help prevent the potatoes from going brown before you cook them.
For the longest time I would just make Latkes with just Potatoes and Onions, grating them on a cheese grater. If you ever need to get tears coming out of your eyes, grating an onion on a cheese grater is very effective.
(Note, when I got my
Re:Onions (Score:2)
The potato water- you would be waiting for starch. Hence my statement about using other starch in there- it helps them stick together is all.
I usually eat them with applesauce, yes they are kosher but not meat, although if an egg has even a spot of blood in it it's considered meat. Kosher only applies to whether it's forbidden and then whether it's prepared according to law.
One of the bes