Cooking My Culture

Image from ToriAvey.com A staple in Jewish homes on Hannukah, potato latkes (pronounced lot-kuz) were a big part of my childhood. Being a non-orthodox Jewish family, we didn’t keep to every single traditional dish -- we ate pork, non-kosher foods, and skipped the whole display of candles surrounded by gefilte fish and sufgoniyot -- but we kept potato latkes in our food vault. Also known as a potato pancake and similar to a hashbrown , a potato latke is simply potato, egg, onion, and seasoning. I was never a fan of the hashbrowns my grandfather would make frequently for breakfast, but I loved some potato latkes. For me, what really makes this dish so delicious is when dollops of both apple sauce and sour cream are added to the latkes to top them off. I can never choose either one, so I always add both! Honestly, I’m not too crazy about sour cream, so I HAVE to add apple sauce to it to combat the sour taste with some sweetness. Potato latkes can be eaten as an appetizer or a meal. My

Image from Flavorite Served for both breakfast and dinner, cream cheese blintzes are the Jewish version of a French dessert crepe. The main difference is that blintzes are stuffed with only cream cheese (no meat or vegetables). My grandfather would add all sorts of toppings to our blintzes: powdered sugar, strawberry compote, blueberry compote, raspberry compote, and whipped cream. Strawberry compote was always my favorite. I was never even a fan of cream cheese until I had my very first cream cheese blintz! In a perfect world, cream cheese blintzes would be on every menu in every restaurant! That’s how highly I think of them. They are delicious and hit the sweet spot! If you enjoy French dessert crepes, you would love cream cheese blintzes – this Jewish treat gives the French a run for their money! Cream Cheese Blintz Ingredients: Blintz 4 large eggs 1 cup flour 1/3 cup sugar 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup water 1 tsp vanilla Pinch salt Nonstick cooking oil spray Vegetable oil with a high smoke

Image from Sustainable Cooks One of my favorite memories of my adulthood is a time when my grandfather was in the hospital following knee surgery and he had to spend Hannukah in a hospital bed recuperating. He couldn't bring himself to Hannukah, so I brought Hannukah to him. For the first time in my life, I made Hannukah dishes on my own, one of them being my grandfather's favorite, matzo ball soup. He was impressed with my very first attempt at making it, and I promised I would make it again for him. After all, he always made it for me. Matzo balls themselves don't carry much flavor; they taste pretty plain to me. It's the seasoning that is added to the soup broth that is absorbed by the matzo balls and gives them flavor. Matzo ball soup is my go-to when I want something simple and warm and without all the spice! Matzo Ball Soup Ingredients: Soup 1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil 2 cloves garlic 1 yellow onion 3 carrots 3 stalks celery 1 chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) 6 c

Image from Plated Cravings A dish my grandfather would make frequently, schnitzels are the Austrian equivalent of the Spanish empanizado. A schnitzel, German for "cutlet," is a thin-sliced cut of meat that is breaded and seasoned. Pork is the most commonly eaten type of schnitzel. I’ve never been much of a pork eater, so my grandfather would often substitute the pork with chicken just for me. Pork (or chicken) schnitzels are usually accompanied by German potatoes with a side of vegetables. Schnitzels can often be found readily prepared in international grocery stores like Aldi for a quick dinner option. As I mentioned, I rarely eat pork, so my preference is the chicken schnitzel.  It’s one of my favorite dinner dishes and I make it often. For me, a side of potatoes or mashed potatoes is a MUST to complete this fantastic meal! Pork Schnitzel Ingredients: 4 boneless pork chops (1 pound total), 1/2 inch thick (or substitute with chicken) 1/4 cup flour 1 tsp seasoned salt 1/4 tsp

Image from Baking Up Memories The Black Forest Cake, a traditional German dessert, was the cake my grandfather would bake for every birthday party. I could count on him baking it for each of his grandkids every year. He was always baking cakes, and between his Pineapple Upside-down Cake and this cake, we were well sugared-up! The Black Forest Cake gets its name from the Black Forest in Germany where it originated. What makes it different from other chocolate cakes is the use of cherries – lots of them! I’m more a vanilla cake kind of girl, but I will devour a Black Forest Cake any day. The cherry sauce, actual cherries, and cherry on top give this rich chocolate cake a special tartness that cannot be explained, only tasted! Black Forest Cake Ingredients: Cake 2 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour 2 cups white sugar ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 ½ tsp baking powder ¾ tsp baking soda ¾ tsp salt 3 eggs 1 cup milk ½ cup vegetable oil 1 Tbsp vanilla extract Topping 2 (20 oz) cans pitted sour cherri