short takes

[cellio]

Seasonal food question: What goes well with latkes? I don't mean the sour-cream-vs-applesauce question; I mean: what (dinner) main courses work well with potato pancakes? Suggestions for dairy (or parve) options are especially welcome, but meat is fine too.

We pretty much completed our holiday shopping (for my relatives) last night. Not only did we go to some actual physical stores, but we even ventured into a mall. Haven't done that in years, but the only local instance of a certain store was in the mall, so off we went. It was surprisingly uncrowded. I wonder if that's because shopping is moving online, because we're between waves of shoppers (the ones who were done in October and the ones who will start on December 23), or because people just aren't shopping as much. As a bonus, yesterday featured the good weather for this week.

We did a chunk of our shopping online, of course (we rarely go that long between instances of giving Amazon our money). But sometimes you've just got to see the item in person.

The release of Blake's 7 on DVD has been delayed yet again. Amazon.uk sends the most polite apologies for things beyond their control, in contrast to most US companies. And it's not like they have my money (only my credit-card info), so I couldn't possibly have any complaint against them. I wonder if the BBC's plan to put all their old stuff online will preclude DVD releases. I don't want to watch TV while sitting at my desk; I want to watch it while sitting in the comfy chair in front of the 32" TV.

I've been doing a lot of D&D catch-up in ralph_dnd. One more major missive to go, and then I'll be caught up to where the characters are. I don't usually write fiction, and this is only semi-fiction because it's reaction to events that have occurred in a shared game -- which is probably why I can write it at all. I've never been very good with fiction, but I seem to do ok when I've got hooks into a set of characters.

I've been meaning to write a proper review of The Kiruv Files for a couple weeks now, but I probably won't get to it this week either. Next week, maybe. If I keep saying that, it'll be true eventually. :-)

Tonight's commute featured ugly traffic snarls. There was an accident on 376 that closed the road in both directions for a while; I don't use that highway, but there was spillover. What surprised me was where the spillover was; after sailing through what I thought would be the worst part, I spent 15 minutes going about two blocks near my house. Unfortunately, those two blocks were right after the point where I could have made a better decision. Oops. :-) (Mind, the accident was around 4:00, and I was doing this after 6:30...)

Comments

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

I'd probably make sauerbraten to go with the latkes. Or just pot roast if you don't care for the marinated/vinegar effect.

(tally: 1 sour-cream fan shiksa)

[cellio]

Something beef-based sounds good -- a roast or brisket or meatloaf. Thanks! Dani's a big sour-cream fan too, so at least some latke-based meals will be fish or eggs or something to satisfy him. (He knows he's allowed to eat meat/milk combos if he uses disposable dishes and flatware, but in practice he never does this.)

[ironangel]

given that the only data point I have is "squirrel hill" for your house, that makes sense - the published detour was to take the squirrel hill exit, up murray, down forbes, down braddock to the edgewood/swissvale exit.

that accident is the only reason I am glad I am working 3-11 this week. yuck!

[cellio]

I live at Beechwood and Beacon. The real jam was on Beacon between Shady and Beechwood. Beacon closer to Murray was not crowded, and I fell for it. Since I needed to do grocery shopping, I ducked down to Commercial at the first opportunity and headed for Edgewood. If I'd seen the backup from Beacon and Shady, I could have saved 15 minutes by heading down Shady to Commercial.

(Err, when does it stop being Forward and start being Commercial? Anyway, that street. It's a back way to Edgewood Town Center that only involves being on Braddock for about 50-100 feet.)

[tangerinpenguin.livejournal.com]

According to maps.yahoo.com, the intersection of "Forward Ave and Commercial" is the really sharp right turn by Irish Center, with the latter on your right and a trail head into Frick Park on your left, which seems plausible both because it's about halfway between Squirrel Hill and Edgewood/Swissvale, and because it's such a sharp turn it's like an intersection that lost two of its four directions.

[cellio]

Oh, that sharp turn is officially an intersection? Ok, I guess I can see that...

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Fish (as I always eat them with sour cream :-) ). Besides, if you do the fish in oil too it's even more traditional.

[cellio]

Mmm, that sounds good. Y'know, I've never actually fried fish in oil; I'm normally a bake/grill person. Do you have favorite seasonings that work well when frying?

(I guess technically I'm talking about sauteing; I don't mean deep-frying.)

[figmo.livejournal.com]

Traditional is to either coat the fish with a simple breading (it can be as simple as seasoned bread crumbs) and then fry in oil. Dipping the fish in buttermilk before the breadcrumbs improves the flavor and cuts the "fishy" taste.

Other "breadings" include flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot seasoned with simple stuff like salt, pepper, maybe some paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. When working with one of those, dip the fish in the breading immediately before frying or else the coating will get gummy. I like this kind of breading better with the latkes because they're already on the heavy side and this produces a much lighter coating.

[revlainiep.livejournal.com]

How about a very well-prepared meatloaf?

[cellio]

Ooh, that sounds nice. With perhaps a barbeque-sauce component, because I think BBQ sauce is tasty on potatoes in pretty much any form. Thanks.

[magid.livejournal.com]

At the deli in Brookline, they have the option of having deli sandwiches on latkes instead of bread... I've never been able to manage that myself.

What about some kind of omelet?

[cellio]

A local restaurant has a latke-based "sandwich" too, though they seem to presume (correctly, in most cases) that you will eat it with a knife and fork.

Eggs are a good latke accompaniment, now that you mention it. A nice veggie-filled omelet, perhaps.

Latkes...

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

Well, my favorite meal with Latkes is pork Roast. But I don't imagine that will do, eh? (Another Shiksa... grin)

At I-Hop during Easter you can get latkes with pancakes and/or eggs instead of hashed brown potatoes. So the Omelet thing sounds reasonable.

It also made me wonder about "marrows" -- you know, butternut squash, stuffed zucchini, "armored rape," (Political correctness note: for those who don't spend much mental time in a 14th C. Kitchen, this is turnips with cheese....).

Alternately, you could make a Jerk Chicken, (Courtesy of Satan's Breath, at http://www.satansbreath.com/recipes/simple_jamaican_jerk_fried_chick.htm

Simple Jamaican Jerk Fried Chicken

Note: You can get Jerk rub at most grocery stores these days...

4-whole de-boned, skinned chicken breasts
Salt to taste
Sprinkle and coat breast with Satan's Breath® Jamaican Jerk
1/4-cup olive oil in a pre-heated wok

Sprinkle heavily with Jamaican Jerk on all sides and fry chicken all sides on medium heat until brown crusted and well done. Each time you turn the chicken you may want to sprinkle it with Jerk again.
So simple, So good.
Serve with asparagus spears, lima beans and Cranberry sauce

Re: Latkes...

[cellio]

Thanks for the suggestions! Your comment about jerk chicken reminded me that I actually have some jerk seasoning mix (dry, not a sauce) that I have not yet played around with. Gotta remedy that. :-)

[zare-k.livejournal.com]

Mmm, latkes. I may have to make myself some. Eggs and potatoes often go well together... maybe a vegetable fritatta?

[cellio]

Good idea. Thanks!

Latkes and ...

[goljerp]

For some reason, Briscuit and Latkes goes together in my mind. Mabye because my mom used to make that on Passover for the seders (sure, latkes aren't really Passover food, but they're a form of starch that's yummy and passover-friendly...)

Re: Latkes and ...

[cellio]

That sounds good. I've been meaning to learn how to make brisket anyway. :-) (I have not yet achieved that falling-apart-in-your-mouth-while-still-tender state.)

Re: Latkes and ...

[goljerp]

This is a recipe for Brisket that I got from my mom:
Breast of Beef [Brisket]
[First cut Brisket of Beef 4 lbs to serve 6 - 8]
Flat cut fresh brisket 2 1/2 - 3 lbs for 4 servings ?

Trim all fat from the meat. Dice an onion and brown it in oil. Sprinkle the meat with coarse salt and pepper. Put it on top of the browned onions. Add 4 oz. tomato juice and 4 oz of water to the pot. Cook on medium low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from pot, turn it over, and slice. Try to cut thin slices; cut against the grain of the meat. Return meat to the pot and cook for additional 1 1/2 hours. Check periodically to make sure you have sufficient gravy. If it seems low, add water as needed.
This is a good company thing. It is easy to cook the day before, let cool, slice when cool (slicing is easier then), continue cooking and serve. Freezes well.

Re: Latkes and ...

[goljerp]

Oh, and because it isn't specified in the recipe: my mom uses a large covered pot which I think of as the 'brisket pot', even though that's not the only thing it's used for.

Brisket & Latkes...

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

(I have not yet achieved that falling-apart-in-your-mouth-while-still-tender state.)

I believe, if my memory is at all correct, that state was called by my friend Susan's grandmother as schlumpf (Please don't bite my Yiddishe spelling....). And as best I can tell, the trick is to be sure and cook it with fat or oil, because the strawlike texture seems to happen if it isn't moist enough. I have had lots of pot roast and corned beef that falls apart but tastes dry.