Happy Chanukah!

Chanukah (the festival of lights) began last night at sundown. It is traditional to eat foods cooked/fried in oil to remind us of the miracle of the holiday (that the oil lasted for eight nights), such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (very similar to jelly donuts).

Here is my mom's recipe for latkes, they are absolutely amazing on their own, but are also great when served with homemade applesauce (my recipe is below), sour cream or both (which is how I eat them)

Potato Latkes

6 large Idaho potatoes

3 large eggs

1 large onion

1/3 c. flour (if making for Passover you can use matzoh meal instead)

2 t. salt

vegetable oil, for frying

Peel and grate potatoes; soak in cold water. Drain in collander and rinse with cold, running water. Squeeze excess water firmly from grated potatoes; they should be as dry as possible. 

Beat eggs in large bowl until frothy. Add flour and salt. Add onions and finally potato. Mix well. Heat 1/4 " oil in a heavy skillet. Drop potato mixture 1/4 cup at a time into hot oil; flatten with back of fork or spatula. Brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. (You can keep the latkes warm in the oven until ready to serve. To retain crispness, keep latkes in single layer on cookie sheet.

Homemade Applesauce

4 apples (Macintosh are my favorite)

Cinnamon

Sugar

Peel, core and slice the apples and put them into a heavy pot/saucepan, and pour in about an inch of water. Bring this to a boil over medium heat until the apples are fork tender. Remove from heat and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Add cinnamon and sugar to taste.

Happy Chanukah!

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