Bubbie’s Kitchen Adventures: Latkes

Last week you met "Bubbie," the Jewish grandmother who is your tour guide to how the magic happens in the small kitchen at Temple B’nai Israel in Laconia. In the beginning, the Jewish Food Festival was just a hot dog stand attached to a rummage sale. In 2021, the festival continues its new virtual look with an expanded menu and more surprises that you will find only online at tbinh.org. Online orders are open through June 27.

Bubbie’s latkes are the talk of the town

Kids today! What do they know? They think the skinny strips that look like pencils, dropped in hot oil and smothered in ketchup are real potatoes. HA! If you want to eat real potatoes, you need to try my potato latkes!

Just like my knishes, I like to use Russet potatoes because they are high in starch and hold together better when cooked. I wash them but leave the skins on. That's one of my secrets, between you and me. The idea is to finely grate each potato. In the old country, all we had was a hand grater — you know, it’s the silver box you may have seen in your Bubbie’s kitchen. Next, you grate carrots and onions and add to the mix. That's another secret you cannot share. Carrots add just a bissel (little bit) of sweetness to the mix. My Zayde, my grandfather, taught me that trick and I have used it ever since.

Once everything is mixed, there will be a lot of water in the bowl, and you need to get it out or you will have a real tough time frying. In the old country, they put the mixture in a cheese cloth bag and tie it to the dog and then release the cat. HA! After the chase was over, the water was gone, but so was the cat. We found that a better way was to spin the bag over our heads and that saved time and a few cats. Of course, it did require umbrellas, galoshes, and washing down the walls. Oy vey, what a mess! So now I use one of those salad spinners — no mess. Next, I add eggs, flour and a pinch of salt and pepper to complete the mix. Now for the fun part, the frying in oil. When they are golden brown on both sides, they are ready for tasting. Eat them with sour cream or apple sauce and you will be in heaven.

Next week, another food festival favorite, cheese blintzes. Oy gevalt, good grief, are they good!

Until then, Zei Gazunt, be well.