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Sharing Food Memories....
JIAS Canada's Heritage
Cookbook Project Chanukah celebrations always bring back memories of life's special moments. When I was 4 years old, I insisted on singing "Oy Chanukah" at my nursery school closing party. An unusual choice, since it was the end of June. My teacher explained that Chanukah took place in December, but I declared "I love Chanukah, I love latkas and I love this song - it's my favourite." And so I sang my song while the summer sun shone warmly on my face and my teacher smiled. I still love Chanukah, its songs and especially the scrumptious latkas that I make each year. I make my latkas in a food processor, using the same simple recipe that my mother used, and her mother before her. My Baba Masha grated her potatoes using a hand grater, while my mother progressed to a hand-cranked rotary grater, then to the food processor. Sometimes I vary the vegetables when making latkas, sometimes I bake them instead of frying them. Ah, progress, ah memories! I know you have your own special latka recipe, with your own very special technique for making them, with your own very special memories. Maybe you grate the potatoes by hand, the way your mother or grandmother did, adding a little bit of oneself (literally) to each latka. Grating the potatoes alternately with the onions was a special tip of one friend's bubby, who swore it was the best way to keep the potato mixture white - and she was right! My mother, the only child of Russian-immigrant parents, told me that the grated potatoes would be placed in a strainer, and that the starch that drained off and settled to the bottom of the bowl would be saved for Passover. Ah, memories! Some people think that adding a pinch of baking soda to the mixture helps keep it white. I remember as a young bride adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the grated potato mixture the first time I made latkas. My latkas were golden brown outside, creamy white inside - but they were inedible! Ah, memories! I firmly believe that when someone shares a special recipe and their food memories with you, they share a little piece of themself, they share a little piece of history. When I get a recipe from family or friends and use it in one of my cookbooks, that recipe becomes immortalized. The recipe lives on long after the person is no longer here. Ah, memories! A few months ago, I was asked to help JIAS create a cookbook commemorating nearly 83 years of helping immigrants from a variety of backgrounds become proud Canadians. JIAS has helped the various waves of Jewish immigrants become established in Canada since it first opened its doors in 1922. The cookbook committee is made up of a terrific group of people from a variety of backgrounds, including India, China, Russia-Ukraine, England, Jamaica, South Africa, Argentina and Morocco. The volunteers are busy collecting recipes and stories. They will gladly interview people who don't want to write their own story, sort through pictures and test the recipes. Sharing memories from the past is a wonderful way of preserving one's traditions. Their legacy lives on long after they are gone. Won't you please help? I hope you will share your family recipes and food memories with JIAS. Maybe you will become a member of the cookbook committee. JIAS is looking for volunteers across the country to help with this exciting project. Ah, memories! I've shared some of my special memories with you,and now I want to share my favourite latka recipe with you. Feel free to modify the ingredients or change the techniques to make them your own, while recalling your own special food memories of Chanukahs celebrated with previous generations who no longer sit at our tables, but retain a place of honour in our thoughts and hearts. Ah, memories! EASY POTATO LATKES Source: The Food Processor Bible by Norene Gilletz (Whitecap Books, $29.95 Cdn.) I use Idaho (russet) potatoes, but some cooks prefer Yukon Golds or red-skinned potatoes. Serve latkes with applesauce or sour cream. (I like them best hot from the pan!)
4 medium potatoes, peeled or
scrubbed Cut potatoes in chunks and onion in half. Place in processor with eggs. Process on the Steel Blade until pureed, 20 to 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients except oil; process a few seconds longer to blend into a smooth mixture. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drop potato mixture into hot oil by large spoonfuls to form pancakes; brown well on both sides. Drain well on paper towels. Add additional oil to pan as needed. Stir batter before cooking each new batch. Latkes can be placed on a baking sheet and kept warm in a 250 degree F oven. (To bake latkes instead of frying, place oven racks on lowest and middle position in oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Drop potato mixture by spoonfuls onto well-oiled baking sheets; flatten slightly. Bake 10 minutes, until bottoms are browned and crispy. Turn latkes over. Transfer pan from upper rack to lower rack and vice versa. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer.)
Yield: about 2 dozen, or 5
dozen miniatures. Freezes well.
JIAS Canada can be
contacted at:
4580 Dufferin St. Suite
306,
Toronto, M3H 5Y2
Tel: 416 630 9051 Ext
33
We will put you in touch
with the volunteer co-ordinator in your area.
Norene Gilletz is author of
many cookbooks and can be reached at
www.gourmania.com
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