CREATE ‘LIVING CUISINE’
Herb and meat latkes make for great Hanukkah alternatives
Ijeh b’lahmeh — Syrian herb and meat latkes — make a delicious alternative to potato latkes for Hanukkah.
Unlike the Ashkenazi classic (best when cooked à la minute), ijeh b’lahmeh can be made in advance. In fact, they’re just as enjoyable at room temperature as they are hot from the pan.
“It’s just tons and tons of greens — parsley, cilantro, scallions — and you can even add spinach if you like,” Israeli author Janna Gur says of the dish, which walks the line between pancake and omelette.
“They’re beautiful with tahini, and it’s a great Hanukkah food. (They’re) very easy to make, and much more user-friendly than classic latkes.”
The recipe is one of more than 100 that Gur shares in her latest cookbook, Jewish Soul Food (Schocken Books, 2014).
The collection is devoted to encouraging Jewish people to preserve “the soul of Jewish culinary culture” through incorporating diaspora classics into their cooking repertoire.
“I strongly believe that the only way to preserve cuisines is by actually cooking them, and finding people who want to eat this food. Otherwise it’s just folklore, anthropology — it’s not really living cuisine,” Gur says.
Excerpted from Jewish Soul Food by Janna Gur. Recipes Copyright 2014 Al Hashulchan Gastronomic Media. Published by Schocken Books, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.