Mushroom Pecan Latkes Food

CELERY ROOT-MUSHROOM LATKES

Steps:

• Whisk the sour cream with the chives, vinegar and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Grate the potato, celery root and onion on the large holes of a box grater into a colander set over a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, toss well and let stand 5 minutes. Squeeze handfuls of the mixture firmly with your hands to remove as much liquid as possible. Blot dry with paper towels, then transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the beaten egg, matzo meal or flour, mushrooms, thyme and garlic to the potato mixture and toss well to combine. Scoop 1/4 cupfuls of the mixture and tightly pack into thin 3- to 4-inch pancakes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
• Preheat the oven to 250˚. Heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil or chicken fat in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in three batches, fry the latkes until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side, reducing the heat as needed if the latkes are browning too quickly. Remove to a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and more thyme. Keep warm in the oven while you make the remaining latkes. Serve with the chive sour cream.

MUSHROOM PECAN LATKES

Steps:

• Heat oil in nonstick frying pan, and saute mushrooms. Add thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Place in food processor, and pulse just until mushrooms are chopped.
• Place mushrooms in a mixing bowl. Add rice, pecans, sour cream, egg, matzoh meal, snipped dill, lemon zest, cardamom and nutmeg. Mix well.
• Coat a nonstick frying pan with oil, and heat. Take heaping tablespoons of mixture, and fry for a few minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Garnish with strips of smoked salmon and pickled ginger, and serve.

STUFFED WHITE MUSHROOMS WITH PECANS

Steps:

• 1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the diced onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add the grated garlic and lower the heat. Add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and a lot of the liquid has evaporated at the bottom of the pan, 5-8 minutes.
• 2. Add the Vermouth to the mushrooms and cook until the flavor of the alcohol has mellowed considerably, 5-8 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add the sour cream and allow it to melt over low heat. Remove and reserve half (20) of the mushrooms.
• 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Preheat the broiler. When the mushrooms have cooled slightly, place half of them (20 mushrooms) on a flat surface and roughly chop to break them into smaller pieces. Toss them in a bowl with the Parmesan cheese, pecans and breadcrumbs.
• 4. A test run: Place a little bit of the stuffing on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for a few minutes and taste for seasoning. Add more salt, cheese or even olive oil if the texture or flavor isn't quite where you want it to be. Fill each bottom of the reserved mushroom halves (remaining 20 mushrooms) with some of the stuffing. Don't be afraid to press and mold the stuffing on top of each mushroom.
• 5. Arrange the mushrooms on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until hot, 12-15 minutes. Place the mushrooms under the broiler for a minute or two until the tops brown. Serve immediately with a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.

HUNGARIAN PORCINI-POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Place porcini in small bowl. Add 3/4 cup hot water and let stand 45 minutes. Strain through fine sieve, reserving soaking liquid. Coarsely chop porcini.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped porcini and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add reserved porcini soaking liquid and paprika; cook until liquid evaporates, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool. (Mushroom mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Finely grate potatoes by hand or in processor fitted with grating disk. Transfer potatoes to large bowl. Add enough cold water to cover; let stand 5 minutes. Drain potatoes. Wrap in dry kitchen towel; twist ends to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place potatoes in large bowl. Mix in egg, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir in mushroom mixture.
• Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, drop potato mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into hot oil, spacing apart. Using spatula, flatten each into 4-inch round and cook until crisp and brown, about 4 minutes per side. Using slotted spatula, transfer latkes to paper towels to drain. Add more oil to skillet as necessary and allow oil to get hot before adding more potato mixture. Transfer to plates and serve.
• *Available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and many supermarkets.

PORCINI MUSHROOM LATKES WITH MUSHROOM SALAD AND CHIVE "CREAM"

Steps:

• For latkes:
• Combine porcini and boiling water in bowl. Soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Strain, pressing out all liquid. Chop porcini.
• Blend potatoes and 1/2 cup onions in processor until finely ground and some liquid forms. Turn mixture out onto kitchen towel. Gather towel around and squeeze mixture very dry. Scrape into large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups onions and next 4 ingredients. Stir until batter becomes moist. Add porcini.
• Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to coat bottom; heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop potato mixture into skillet by scant 1/4 cupfuls. Flatten into 2 1/2-inch rounds. Cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to large baking sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 400°F oven until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
• For salad and chive cream:
• Stir nondairy sour cream, chives, and 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl to blend.
• Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and all mushrooms; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons vinegar; toss. Season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired.
• Overlap latkes on plates. Mound greens alongside; top with mushrooms. Serve with chive cream.
• What to drink:
• Try a full-bodied kosher white wine, like the BARON HERZOG 2007 CENTRAL COAST CHARDONNAY (California $13).

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Using a food processor with a coarse grating disc, grate the potatoes and onion. Transfer the mixture to a clean dishtowel and squeeze and wring out as much of the liquid as possible.
• Working quickly, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the eggs, flour, salt, baking powder and pepper, and mix until the flour is absorbed.
• In a medium heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, pour in about 1/4 inch of the oil. Once the oil is hot (a drop of batter placed in the pan should sizzle), use a heaping tablespoon to drop the batter into the hot pan, cooking in batches. Use a spatula to flatten and shape the drops into discs. When the edges of the latkes are brown and crispy, about 5 minutes, flip. Cook until the second side is deeply browned, about another 5 minutes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and sprinkle with salt while still warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

CLASSIC POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Coarsley grate the potatoes and onion into a large bowl, or use a food processor with a coarse grating blade. Leave the mixture to rest for about 15 mins so the liquid releases from the onions and potatoes. Carefully drain off the liquid for about 30 mins until the mixture is dry, then put in a cheese cloth and squeeze out the remaining liquid.
• Add the eggs, flour, 1 tsp sea salt and pepper, and mix well. Pour the oil into the pan so that it is 2-3cm deep. Set over a medium heat for a few minutes until it ripples.
• Carefully spoon in the mixture to the size you want - 2 tbsp for large latkes or 1 tbsp for small. Fry them in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cook on each side until browned for 2 mins. Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper, then season with a sprinkling of salt. Serve with the soured cream and smoked salmon, finished with a sprinkling of chives, or just apple sauce - both are traditional.