Fast Forward: Sid's Latkes
This year, I wrote a piece on latkes for my favorite Jewish Daily. And as sometimes happens, the part of the piece I loved most met met it's end on the edit floor.
But in blogland we ressurect. Much like the miracle of Chanukah, wherest I thought there was content enough to satisfy only one article, I rejoice at the keyboard as I realize that there is content enough to last for two!
Chappy Chanukah, y'all.
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For the last five years, I’ve been teaching basic cooking techniques at the JCC in Manhattan. In doing so, I’ve introduced many students to the fine art of latke making, but one student stands out in my memory.
Sidney Horn was taking the 6-week intensive Learn-to-Cook class in effort to, as he said, “get out more”. He had recently lost his wife of 50 years. On frying day, he mentioned that not only had he never made a potato pancake, but his wife did not enjoy making them, either. “I always asked her to make latkes, but she never did. She’d say, ‘It’s such a pain in the neck!’ ”
I handed him the grater and as he picked up the first russet, he begun sharing stories of his potato-peeling days during the War. “Now that was hard work!” he’d say. He was at least twice as old as the eldest woman in our all-female class, and as he shared his decades of memories, we listened attentively.
Sid grated until his knuckles were raw, drained and drained and drained the potato shreds, mixed in the egg and the seasonings, shaped the latkes, and began pre-heating the frying pan. Ten minutes later, his button-down shirt and apron was splattered with oil and his face was pink with the heat of the stovetop. In his hands were a half-dozen latkes on a paper-towel lined plate. He took a bite and glowed with pride; they were crispy yet yielding, salty and sweet with onions. He asked the class if he could take home the extra to reheat for his daughters.
“This year”, he told the class, “I will be the one who makes the latkes.”
Simple Latkes (as featured in the Forward)
Other latke recipes:
Latke with Schmaltz
Potato-Parsnip Latkes
Fancy Latkes with Caviar
But in blogland we ressurect. Much like the miracle of Chanukah, wherest I thought there was content enough to satisfy only one article, I rejoice at the keyboard as I realize that there is content enough to last for two!
Chappy Chanukah, y'all.
-------------------
For the last five years, I’ve been teaching basic cooking techniques at the JCC in Manhattan. In doing so, I’ve introduced many students to the fine art of latke making, but one student stands out in my memory.
Sidney Horn was taking the 6-week intensive Learn-to-Cook class in effort to, as he said, “get out more”. He had recently lost his wife of 50 years. On frying day, he mentioned that not only had he never made a potato pancake, but his wife did not enjoy making them, either. “I always asked her to make latkes, but she never did. She’d say, ‘It’s such a pain in the neck!’ ”
I handed him the grater and as he picked up the first russet, he begun sharing stories of his potato-peeling days during the War. “Now that was hard work!” he’d say. He was at least twice as old as the eldest woman in our all-female class, and as he shared his decades of memories, we listened attentively.
Sid grated until his knuckles were raw, drained and drained and drained the potato shreds, mixed in the egg and the seasonings, shaped the latkes, and began pre-heating the frying pan. Ten minutes later, his button-down shirt and apron was splattered with oil and his face was pink with the heat of the stovetop. In his hands were a half-dozen latkes on a paper-towel lined plate. He took a bite and glowed with pride; they were crispy yet yielding, salty and sweet with onions. He asked the class if he could take home the extra to reheat for his daughters.
“This year”, he told the class, “I will be the one who makes the latkes.”
Simple Latkes (as featured in the Forward)
Other latke recipes:
Latke with Schmaltz
Potato-Parsnip Latkes
Fancy Latkes with Caviar
posted by Allison Fishman Task at 8:08 AM
2 Comments:
The miracle of Chanukah lives on.
YKW
Delicious latkes and fabulous story. Spicy for the grown-ups and basic for the kids! Yum.
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