Being Chanukah and all, I thought I’d opt for a twist on the traditional latke. These hybrid sweet potato latkes topped with some super charged sour cream make for a great combo.
If cilantro’s not your thing, try mixing it up with another fresh herb you may prefer.
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Sweet Potato Latkes with Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients:
1/2 medium yellow onion
1/2 pound Yukon gold potato, about 1 large, peeled
1/2 pound sweet potato, about 1 medium, peeled
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch cayenne
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil
1 cup Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream (recipe below)
Preparation:
- Grate the onion into a large bowl. Grate both potatoes into the same bowl, grating down the length of the potato to get long strands. Toss the potatoes with the onions as you work to keep them from discoloring.
- Put potato mixture in a clean dish towel and wring out excess liquid. Toss the latke mixture with the flour, salt, and cayenne. Stir in the egg.
- Heat a 1/4-inch oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Working in batches, spoon about 1/4 cup of the latke mixture into the skillet, pressing lightly to form latkes. Take care not to overcrowd the pan. Cook, turning once, until just golden, about 2 minutes per side.
- Serve the latkes topped with a small dollop of Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream.
Chili-Cilantro Sour Cream:
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Combine all the ingredients except the cilantro in a medium bowl and whisk together. Stir in cilantro.
Filed under: Recipe on December 14th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
En croûte is a French term referring to food that is wrapped or covered with pastry and then baked.
Although she didn’t know it had such a fancy name, a friend requested I hunt down a recipe for “mushroom soup with a pastry bubble on top that you break through to eat”.
The recipe below uses puff pastry. It’s formed by folding dough repeatedly to create layers with butter between each one. As the dough bakes, the moisture in the butter creates steam, causing the pastry to “puff” up.
Done, fun & delicious!
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Mushroom Soup en Croûte
Adapted from Williams Sonoma
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
14 oz. frozen puff pastry, thawed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, brushed clean and chopped
2 large shallots, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, plus more as needed
2 cups chicken stock
1 egg, lightly beaten
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle about 15 by 10 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Cut the pastry into six 5-inch squares. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the mushrooms are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the liquid evaporates, about 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the 1 teaspoon salt and the 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Transfer the mushrooms to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.
- In the same pot over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until no lumps are visible. Slowly whisk in the 2 cups of milk until combined. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is bubbling vigorously and thickened. While stirring, slowly add the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes more. The mixture should be opaque and beige in color. Stir in the mushroom puree. Season with salt and pepper and thin with additional milk, if needed.
- Ladle the soup into 6 ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the puff pastry squares with the beaten egg. Place 1 square on top of each bowl and press the edges to adhere. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Filed under: Recipe on December 12th, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Don’t let the jalapenos frighten you off from this recipe. Removing the membranes and seeds renders it rather tame from a heat perspective. The peppers are a great addition to the other ingredients in this recipe. I like it because it’s a bit off the beaten path as compared to other crock pot recipes. Si?
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Mexican Meatball Soup
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 small red onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, chopped
1 zucchini, diced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 cup corn kernels
1 tablespoon lime juice
Preparation:
- In the crock pot add the onion, half the jalapenos, zucchini, half the cumin, the chicken broth, water, tomatoes, corn, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and a pinch of black pepper.
- In a medium bowl combine the ground beef, garlic, half the jalapeno, half the cumin, half the fresh oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a pinch of black pepper, the bread crumbs and egg. Shape the mixture into meatballs.
- Add the meatballs into the crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Before serving mix in the lime juice and remaining 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano.
Filed under: Recipe on December 8th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
