Happy Hanukkah To All Who Celebrate on Saturday

**** Someone has brought to my attention that the history here isn`t correct...sorry. Blame it on Farmer`s Almanac! I have added the correction :)
Note: Beta Blogger lost some of my blog links but luckily I`d saved my template and am recovering them :)


This is from the Farmers Almanac and they look good! Seem to be much like a potatoe pancake.
http://www.farmersalmanactv.com/cooking/257.html

Latkes, or potato pancakes, are a traditional Jewish dish that hailed from Eastern Europe. They have become associated with Hanukkah because they are fried in oil, and oil is symbolic of Hanukkah.

As the story goes, the Israelites were ruled by the (correction) Greek-Syrians. They revolted and reclaimed the temple. When they reopened the temple, there was only enough oil to light one day’s worth of candles. Miraculously, the oil lasted eight days. Thus, candles and oils have become Hanukkah traditions.

Although latke isn’t the only Jewish dish that uses oil, potato latke became associated with Hanukkah over the years, although it’s not clear when.

Here are a few tips for making potato latke.

* There are many ways to make potato latke, including curried, sweet potato, apple-cinnamon and sesame-potato latke.
* To prevent the latke from sticking to the pan, make sure the oil is very hot. Turn the mixture when the edges start to brown. Don’t crowd the pan.
* Some cooks would never consider using a food processor, although it’s far easier to grate the potatoes.
* While you can freeze and re-heat the latke, straight from the frying pan is best.
* Potato latke is served best with sour cream or apple sauce. You can use fat free or light sour cream, if you wish.
* Potato latke makes a wonderful side dish or entrée.

Faith Dessauer contributed to this report.

Here`s a recipe....

Potato Latkes
Yields: 6 servings
Shredded potatoes and grated onions are bound with flour, salt and eggs, then fried in oil to make delicious potato pancakes that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups peeled and shredded
potatoes
1 tablespoon grated onion
3 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup peanut oil
DIRECTIONS:
1.Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.
2.In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
3.In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels.
Serve hot.