Decatur Magazine: Home: Food and Wine: Ethnic Holiday Flavors

	articles online: food & wine Ethnic Holiday Flavors Supplement to the December/January 2004 Holiday issue. Catfish Mississippi Mac Sufganiyots Kourabiedes Potato Latkes Sweet Potato Pie

Steeped in tradition and religious symbolism, Latkes, sweet potato pie, and Vasilopeta are among the holiday recipes connecting generations of Decatur's Greek, Jewish, and African-American communities. Catfish 1-1/2 pounds catfish fillets 1 egg Garlic salt 1 package of marks fish breading or 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of corn meal, salt and Pepper to taste Cayenne pepper Vegetable oil Heat skillet and 1 inch of vegetable oil. Wash catfish. Beat egg. Dip catfish in egg. Put garlic salt on both sides of the fillets. Shake on cayenne pepper. Dip twice in breading. Put fillets in hot oil. Cook until golden brown and tender in the middle. Fry time is usually 8 to 12 minutes. Take fillets out the skillet and set on a paper towel. Sprinkle with Louisiana Hot Sauce® (optional). If you do not like spicy food, omit the cayenne pepper. Or, spice it up with as much cayenne as you can stand and dip in hot sauce, ketchup, and lemon juice mixed together.
	Mississippi Mac (Macaroni and Cheese) Elbow macaroni Colby cheese, monterey jack, cheddar cheese, mozzarella (amount depends on your preference). Shred cheese all together. Flour Garlic powder Milk Butter Black pepper Dash of salt Pinch of sugar Croutons (seasoned or unseasoned)
Boil macaroni according to directions, drain, return to pot, and add 2 sticks of butter, stirring until melted. In a separate pot, add croutons, with butter, stirring to soak all croutons evenly. In a skillet, add flour with a touch of milk stirring briskly (as if making gravy), add garlic powder to taste. Keep adding milk for thickness. In a 9x13 baking dish, layer each of the following: Macaroni; sliced butter, placed evenly; cheese; macaroni; butter; cheese; macaroni. Make indentations in the last macaroni layer, and pour flour mixture on top. Next, top with buttered croutons. Bake at 350 degrees until croutons are browned and cheese is melted.

	Sufganiyots 1 scant tablespoon (1 package) dry yeast 4 tablespoons sugar 3/4 cup lukewarm milk or warm water* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 eggs, separated 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter or pareve margarine, softened* Apricot or strawberry preserves Sugar Vegetable oil for deep-frying *Use butter and milk if serving at a milk meal, and water and pareve margarine for a meat meal.
Mix together the yeast, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and milk. Let sit to make sure it bubbles. Sift the flour and mix it with the remaining sugar, salt, cinnamon, egg yolks, and the yeast mixture. Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Add butter or margarine. Knead some more, until the butter is well absorbed. Cover with a towel and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut out the dough into 24 rounds with a juice glass, or any object about 2 inches in diameter. Take 1/2 teaspoon of preserves and place in center of 12 rounds. Top with the other 12. Press down at edges, sealing with egg whites. Crimping with the thumb and second finger is best. Let rise for about 30 minutes. Heat 2 inches of oil to about 375°. Drop the doughnuts into the hot oil, about 5 at a time. Turn to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
Kourabiedes 1 cup softened unsalted butter 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons brandy 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup finely chopped blanched almonds 2 cups sifted flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Whole cloves Powdered sugar Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk, brandy, and vanilla until very light and smooth. Stir in almonds. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Blend the flour mixture into the butter mixture until a soft, smooth dough forms. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for one hour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough by the tablespoonfuls into crescents. Place the crescents one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets and press a whole clove into each cookie. Bake for 22 to 26 minutes or until light golden. Cookies should not brown. Remove immediately from cookie sheets and cool on wire racks. Dust with powdered sugar.
	Potato Latkes 5 pounds potatoes 1 cup flour 3 eggs, beaten 1 onion, grated 1/2 teaspoon salt Oil
Fill a mixing bowl with cold water. Peel and cut the first potato into small chunks. Immediately place it in the bowl of water to keep it from changing color. Repeat this process until all the potatoes are peeled and cut. Grate 1 cup of potatoes and 1/2 cup cold water in a blender. Remove this 1-1/2 cup mixture to a second mixing bowl of cold water. Repeat this process until all of the potatoes are grated. Pour grated potatoes through a strainer to eliminate water and remove starch. Rinse out one of the mixing bowls and pour in strained potatoes. Be sure to cover the top with 1 cup flour so no air penetrates the surface. Add the 3 beaten eggs, grated onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt on top of the flour, and mix into the grated potatoes. The consistency should be somewhat thick; add extra flour if it seems too runny. Pour 1/4 cup of oil into a frying pan. When the oil bubbles, drop 1 tablespoon of potato batter per pancake, leaving space between them so they do not run together. Turn the latkes over when the edges are golden brown. Add fresh oil as needed. When both sides are golden brown, remove the latkes with a slotted spatula and layer on a plate between paper towels to absorb oil. Continue until all of the potato batter is used. Serve hot. Latkes may be kept warm or reheated in a 200-degree oven, arranged in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Serves 6 to 8.
Sweet Potato Pie 3 to 4 sweet potatoes or yams (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb.) 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 2 eggs, well beaten 1 tsp. vanilla 2/3 cup milk 1 unbaked 9-inch pastry For filling, boil sweet potatoes 40-45 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly. Peel and mash (you should have about 2 cups). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in sweet potatoes until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add milk slowly; beat until combined. Spoon mixture into unbaked pastry. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature before serving. Store in refrigerator. Makes 8 servings.

Publisher's Note: These recipes may be printed for personal use only. This is an online supplement to an article which originally appeared in the December/January 2004 issue of Decatur Magazine. It may not be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part without the publisher's consent. © Copyright 2003 Decatur Magazine - First String Productions. All rights reserved.