With the hunger gap upon us, we take a page from Jewish culinary history and plough into a hearty latke dish. These varied deep-fried potato cakes are the perfect remedy for a cold dayThat’s the fun over then. And now winter starts in earnest. It is fashionable to say that every season brings something new for the cook. Back in November we rejoiced at the arrival of autumn. The pumpkins with their sweet orange flesh. The delicate scents of parsnips and celeriac. The mighty kale. But this stretch, until late March, is taxing for even the most inventive cook. Not for nothing is it known as the hunger gap. Basically, what’s left is roots. Roots, roots, roots. The only antidote to the monotony is to do unusual things to your roots, such as grating them. The inspiration for this approach is the traditional potato latke, served at Hanukah. In their purest form, latkes are nothing more than grated onion, potatoes and egg, formed into patties and fried. This is traditionally done in an awful lot of oil.Most sources will tell you that this is because Jews eat latkes to celebrate the “miracle of the single cruse”. After victory over the Greeks, the Hasmonean family could only find a single cruse (or pitcher) of oil, enough to burn for one day – but it ended up burning for eight. Continue reading...
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