Sunday, April 21, 2013

I Heart Cooking Clubs




Here it is, another  'semi' week for me with I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we are featuring Chef  Yotam Ottolenghi for the next 6 months.



This week it's all about the roots.   Root vegetables.  I have to say that  I love them-- I always have.  They just seem so rustic and homey--and they are very good  roasted with a bit of olive oil and kosher salt. 
That's how I would do them, BUT  Yotam Ottolenghi doesn't roll that way--he actually takes something and makes it better.

The potato latke  is something you might think of as common.  You hear about them often, especially around the holidays ( Hanukkah.)
I've never had them with parsnips though. I've never had a parsnip in my life, perhaps the only root vegetable I haven't had.   So, I thought I'd go out on a limb and do the Ottolenghi way with parsnips.  

And guess what?  I liked them.  I knew I would like them if made with potatoes, but the parsnips?  I was a bit cautious to be honest.  I didn't want to ruin a good thing,  but what do I know?   They were good.
They are my side dish for some ribs tonight---I personally wonder why we wait until a holiday to do this side dish--you needn't,  they'd go good with any type of  roasted meat. 




Latkes
from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi  and Sami Tamimi

5 1/2 cups peeled and grated waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
2 1/2 cups  peeled and grated parsnips
2/3 cups finely chopped chives
4 egg whites
2 Tbs cornstarch
5 Tbs unsalted butter
6-7 Tbs sunflower oil
salt and freshly ground peppper
sour cream to serve

Rinse the potato in a large bowl of cold water, drain in a colander. Squeeze out any excess water and then spread out onto a clean kitchen towel to dry completely.

In a large bowl, mix together the potato, parsnip, chives, egg whites, cornstarch  1 tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper.

Heat half the butter and half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Use your hands to  make patties of about 2 Tbls of the latke mix, squeeze firmly to remove some of the liquid.
Carefully  place as many patties you can comfortably fit into the pan, push them down gently and level them with the back of a spoon.  Fry over medium high heat for 3 minutes on each side.   The latkes need to be completely brown on the outside.  Remove the fried latkes from the oil, place on paper towels and keep warm while you cook the rest.  Add the remaining oil and butter as needed.
Serve at once with sour cream on the side.


While searching the internet for info on Yotam, I found this Youtube video trailer on the cookbook Jerusalem.   Um....I want them to come cook for me!  (no more me messing up their stuff)  They make everything look gorgeous.

8 comments:

Tina said...

I love latkes but hardly ever have them. I should change that this upcoming week. Nice photos!

bermudaonion said...

I've never had parsnips either. In my mind, they taste like turnips, but I'm sure that's not right.

Kim said...

You are definitely right. I've watched a lot of his videos and his presentation is unbelievable. However, I must tell you that your latkes are very inspiring to me right now. I can just imagine taking a huge bite and hearing that wonderful crunch from the crust. I can tell they were delicious!

Deb in Hawaii said...

Your latkes look perfect--crispy and delicious. I like parsnips but would not have thought of using them in latkes before this. Great pick!

Michelle B said...

I agree--these are perfect. Forget YO, you've got it goin' on, Debbie! Magazine quality stuff right here! I've made latkes a total of TWO times in my whole life.

kitchen flavours said...

These are fantastic! I have never had potatoes and parsnips together before, and I love both root veggies a lot! These look addictive to me, and I am just thinking about the amount that I can eat! Haha! Great pick!

Mairi @ Toast said...

Crispy potatoes....love! And I am thinking that the parsnip would add a lovely sweetness. Another to add to the must make list.....it is going to be one big list!

Couscous & Consciousness said...

I've eaten parsnips aplenty, but never in latkes ... actually I've never eating latkes. These look great - deliciously crispy - great photos too. These are definitely now on my "have to try" list. Great video too - I want to try so many of those dishes.

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