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11/29/1999 Archived Entry: "Turkey Broth and No-Fry Latkes"

On Thursday, I gave thanks for my family, my health, my friends …oh, yes, and as much as I complain, my life.

On Sunday, I gave thanks for the cleansing and restorative effects of turkey broth. Boy, did I need cleansing and restoration, meaning a rest from rich food.

I didn’t even have a whole turkey carcass to make this broth, just the remains of a breast I’d roasted on Friday night for weekend sandwiches. Still, I managed to eke out a gorgeous, rich and steaming clear soup. To jump start the thing, I used the remains of a can of chicken broth I had put in the refrigerator only the day before. To that I added all the turkey bones, which I had fun hacking up with poultry shears, and the little meat clinging to them. A carrot, a whole onion, some parsley stems (sorry folks, that’s all I had), enough cold water to cover it all by an inch, and some salt. I let it simmer ever-so-gently, barely breaking bubbles at the surface, for hours – I suppose about three – by which time the liquid had reduced to being about an inch below the bones. With egg noodles, it was divine.

Now it’s Monday and already I have to think about potato latkes – or something fried – for Chanukah, which comes unseemingly close to Thanksgiving this year. The first candle in the Menorah will be lighted on Friday. How can I think about frying when I have just digested Thanksgiving.

I thought perhaps this was the right moment to give you the practically fat-free latkes I was sent quite a few years ago by Elaine Kasdan, a listener from New Jersey. These are really healthy potato pancakes. You might say they are aggressively healthy, even too healthy for Chanukah, a festival of lights, yes, but also a festival of fat. One might even be tempted to call these the Anti-Latkes if they didn’t taste so good. Now, don’t go comparing them to the traditional schmaltz-fried recipe I will post here tomorrow. There’s no question that chicken fat, or even vegetable oil, makes for a certain Chanukah flavor. These pancakes have to be judged from another point of reference. The wheat germ – which, by the way, does have plenty of fat – gives them a unique – yes, I’d say even deliciously different flavor.

No-Fry Latkes
Makes 12

2 cups shredded potatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup wheat germ
2 egg whites
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly spray 2 large cookie sheets with oil mist.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto prepared pans and press down.

Bake 15 minutes. Turn and bake 10 more minutes or until crisp. Serve immediately.