Oh how I love thee, let me count the ways! ;-) Every year around Chanukah I think, eh,
I don't need to make any latkes this year...and then I do...and I remember just how delicious
they are! I've played with some variations, mixing in some shredded sweet potato or making
a mixture of shredded root vegetables, but nothing quite satisfies like the original simple
potato latke.
    This year instead of variations on the actual latke, I decided to try some different toppings:
homemade apple sauce, homemade tatziki, and a piece of smoked salmon topped with a light and refreshing shaved brussel sprout salad. Rough recipes below...which do you prefer??

POTATO LATKE
about 2 cups packed shredded white potato - i don't peel them, but I do drain them a little
1/4 cup grated onion - not drained
1/4 cup matzo meal (or matza ball mix, whatever is on hand)
2 eggs
2 tbsp avocado oil (or grapeseed oil) - more for frying
salt to taste
Mix it altogether and start frying.  Place a spoonful in the pan, flatten to a pancake and let brown before flipping. I used a medium high heat and cooked about 3-5mins on each side.
TWO TIPS:  Let each pancake set a minute or two before touching. No need to shuffle them around too much...this way they are more likely to stay together.

HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE
Quarter your favorite kind of apples, remove the seeds/stems and put them in a pot with some water...that's it! This time I used macintosh, macoun and one red delicious for color. I put them in a pot with a few inches of water, brought them to a boil and let it all simmer for somewhere between 30mins to 1 hour. Basically just cook the apples until they are easy to mash. You can mash them up and keep the skins in for a chunky, hearty sauce, or you can put them through a food mill for the classic texture.
ONE NOTE: an apple or two with some nice red skin will add a lovely hue to your finished sauce.

TATZIKI
It's easier than you think!
INGREDIENTS:
0% Fage Yogurt 
peeled and grated cucumber (with juices) 
lemon juice
fresh minced garlic
olive oil
​
I used one 8oz container of yogurt mixed with a couple tbsps of grated cucumber, a dash of lemon juice, one tsp of fresh minced garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix together and set aside to allow the flavors to come together.

BRUSSEL SPROUT SALAD
This is a very simple salad. I shredded a bunch of brussel sprouts and tossed with some chopped walnuts, green apple, fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Add fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste and let marinate.
(Serve with a slice of nice, not too salty, Nova/Smoked Salmon)

Ceviche is so simple and so fresh. Though it is great any time of year (if you ask me), its just perfect on a hot summer day with light/crisp white wine. 
     For those of you not familiar with this delicacy, ceviche is simply citrus cured fish. I usually use fresh lime juice with a splash of fresh lemon juice, but that’s just my preference. I’m sure you can play around with different citrus. Let me know how it turns out! Ok, so back to this recipe. I really don’t know which “style” ceviche this is considered, so lets just call it the light and tasty one. I typically use white fishes (fluke, flounder, sea bass, porgy and scallops even work well) which again, is just my preference.  Here are the ingredients, adjust to suit your palette, but remember, you do need enough citrus to “cook” the fish.

​INGREDIENTS:
fresh fish fillet
fresh squeezed lime juice
fresh squeezed lemon juice
minced red onion
halved grape tomatoes (and/or minced yellow, orange bell pepper)
thin sliced scallion (or cilantro or parsley)

This time I used fluke, probably around 1/4lb fillet for a light lunch. I juiced one lime and used just enough to cover the fish, covered the bowl with seran wrap and put it in the fridge to cook/marinate. The fish is done when it is white (if using a white fish) all the way through. I recommend marinating the fish for at least 8 hours or as long as 24 hours. I combined all of the ingredients about 20 minutes before it was time to serve. Mix and match the veggies and herbs, but keep it simple so the fish remains the star of the show!

​Inspiration can be found anywhere or from anyone, you never know! I recently made a trip to my favorite hair salon to get myself a new ‘do. My hair stylist, Christine, and I will often chat while she is working her magic. We have touched on many topics, but will almost always spend some time chatting about travel and food… two of our favorite things. This time I mentioned I saw one of her posts featuring a delicious looking fresh tuna salad... which I found out she made for her family that weekend. It looked amazing. Her and I both feel the same way about the Mediterranean diet and how we belong there…you know in the Mediterranean climate with all of the fresh fish and produce ;-)  Anyways, Christine’s photo and our chat completely inspired me to create my own version of this dish. 
     Luckily,  Seatuck Fish Company  at the Union Square Farmers Market often has tuna. I bought about 1/4lb, maybe a little more. ...I really just picked a smaller piece that looked pretty. I also picked up some fennel, yellow & red grape tomatoes and a red onion.
​     Typically I will simply season/sear my tuna: fresh cracked salt and pepper on both sides right before cooking and just a minute or two of cook time on all sides leaving it very rare in the center. For this dish however, it is better the tuna is cooked to a medium rare…light pink in the center. 

​Here is a rough recipe to get you started!
INGREDIENTS:
fresh tuna steak
fennel
red onion
grape tomatoes
Kalamata olives
olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar
fresh squeezed lemon juice
optional (but recommended) garnish: chopped fennel frond; lemon zest

​Cook the tuna to a medium rare, set aside to cool and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Prep your veggies: thinly slice some fennel and red onion; halve some yellow and red grape tomatoes, halve some kalamata olives (or green olives).
Flake the cooled tuna, mix with the veggies and top with a generous amount of olive oil, splash of balsamic and some fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors.
Season with fresh cracked salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Even on a rainy day...can't keep me away! Some photos from a recent trip to the market. Hope they inspire you to get to your local market too ;-)

My mom would make bean salad often in the spring and summer. ​This salad is definitely a picnic staple for me. The only “problem” was we never had access to fresh wax beans (aka white string beans). We always prepared this salad with canned green beans, canned wax beans, canned red kidney beans and fresh sliced vidalia onion. This version is delicious… However, I’ve now started making bean salad during that wonderful time of year when green string beans AND white string beans are both available at farmers’ markets!  Using fresh beans requires just two additional steps: snapping the ends of the beans and blanching the beans. Otherwise I prepare the salad as I normally would. ​

MOM’S BEAN SALAD:
1 can cut green beans
1 can cut wax beans
1 can red kidney beans
½ vidalia onion, thinly sliced

FRESH BEAN SALAD:
½ lb each white and green string beans
1 can red kidney beans
½ vidalia or red onion, thinly sliced
DRESSING:
equal amounts (roughly ½ cup) 
   white vinegar
   mild oil (canola, grapeseed, veggie) 
   organic sugar
(NOTE: I have since modified the dressing using a little less than ¼ cup sugar and about ¼ cup oil. Both versions of this salad have been enjoyed by all.)

This dish speaks for itself!