Potato Latkes for Chanukah
by Claire Criscuolo, RN

Chanukah, is the Festival of Lights, and it begins on December ninth. This eight day celebration commemorates a biblical story dating back to 165 B.C. when the Jewish Maccabees' defeated the Syrians. In The Temple of Jerusalem they found only enough oil to burn for one night, but as the miracle goes, the oil burned for eight nights.

During this eight day holiday, families gather at sundown to light a menorah, a nine branched candelabrum. There are nine candles in the menorah, one candle for each day of Chanukah and the ninth candle to light the others.

One of the foods that are shared throughout Chanukah is Potato Pancakes, also known as Latkes. They are fried in oil as a reminder of the miraculous oil.

I've been eating potato pancakes since I was a child, and surprisingly enough, my Italian grandmother (Asunta Maria Lucibello Bigio - nonna to me) introduced me to these delicious pancakes. And, I have the New Haven Redevelopment Agency to thank. In 1955, when the redevelopment plans for New Haven included a highway that extended through Wooster Street - exactly where my grandparents and my family lived, we were forced to relocate. We moved away from our Italian enclave and into a neighborhood with a diverse group of neighbors, whom my mother referred to as "Americanas". This move turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for us to meet people from other ethnic groups. And we had the good fortune of getting to know and love these diverse families through their foods. Potato Pancakes is one such special dish that is a result of our country's great tradition of ethnic diversity. My grandmother (nonna), learned to make potato pancakes from her Jewish neighbor Gertrude. I often sat at the table with my nonna and watched as she carefully shredded white potatoes using a box grater, into a colander set into a bowl to drain. Next, she would squeeze out the starchy liquid released from the potatoes (nonna said this made the pancakes tender) and place the potatoes into a big white enamel bowl. Then, she stirred in a little chopped onion, and Italian flat leaf parsley (I think this was her Italian adaptation), eggs, a little flour and bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Next, she fried the batter, a heaping tablespoonful at a time in hot olive oil. To this day, every time I fry potato pancakes, I am transported back to my nonna's kitchen. They remain one of my favorite treats.

Here are my recipes, adapted from nonna's. In one recipe I combine sweet and white potatoes because I love the color and flavor the sweet potatoes add, and besides, the beta carotene from the sweet potatoes is a good thing. The second recipe is for Zucchini, Potato, and Apple Pancakes, something we often make at Claire's because they are so popular.

Serve the pancakes with fat free sour cream or the oh so indulgent, creme fraiche, and applesauce. Creme fraiche is an ultra rich and smooth, cream, with a slightly sweet yet tangy flavor. You can buy it in the dairy section of most supermarkets. A little dollop is all you'll need for a very big flavor.

I wish you a Happy Chanukah.