Montone On The Move: A New Twist On Latkes

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The 7th Annual Latke Festival will take place at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York on Monday evening. Chefs will get to display their own creative twists on the traditional latke for food lovers and professionals to enjoy.

To get into the Chanukah spirit, 1010 WINS' John Montone is "on the move" with a preview of a completely vegan and gluten-free latke making its debut at the festival. To watch the segment, click on the video player above.

Don't forget to check out the bonus latke recipe from Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola as well. It's a sweet potato and rutabaga latke with braised short rib and persimmon gastrique. For more information about the festival, visit www.latkefestival.com.

Cassava Latkes, Chana Masala, Coconut Yogurt, Cilantro

Yields 8

Cassave Latke:

1 # of Cassava -- peeled, parboiled, cooled, then grated

½ Juice from ½ a Spanish onion

½ t of cornstarch

Salt and pepper

Canola oil

• Mix above ingredients together in a bowl (*except the canola oil).
• Heat a sauté pan over medium-high flame- add 4T canola oil.
• Place walnut-sized balls of the mixture into the pan. Be sure not to crowd the pan.
• Gently press the balls into nice little cakes. The mixture will flatten and the latke will look more circular, rather than the walnut-sized ball. The goal is to achieve a beautiful golden-brown color on each side of the latke.
• Once the color is properly achieved, remove the latkes from the pan and place on paper towels or napkins to drain off excess oil.

Chana Masala:

2 cups cooked chickpeas

½ Spanish onion

3 cloves garlic

1 finger of ginger peeled and sliced

1 red pepper

1 cup of canned plum tomato

¼ cilantro

1 rib of celery

¼ of large carrot

1T garam masala

½t ground cumin

½ t ground coriander

Pinch of nutmeg

1/4t of cinnamon

• Blend onions, garlic, ginger, carrot, pepper, celery, and cilantro in a food processor until well processed.
• Heat 4qt saucepot over a medium heat, add ½ cup canola oil then add the processed vegetables.
• Cook the vegetables until soft and sweet. Add the ground spices and cook for five minutes stirring continuously.
• Add the chickpeas and tomatoes and enough water to allow all to mingle well without burning.
• Turn heat to low and simmer until mixture is well married and aromatic. It should have a gravy-like consistency.

Coconut Yogurt:

6 cans unsweetened coconut milk

10 grams yogurt starter culture

2T raw sugar

• empty coconut milk into sauce pot heat to 180F
• Cool down coconut milk to 70F then add 10 grams yogurt culture and 2T sugar – mix well
• Now place the mixture in a warm place and leave for 8 to 12 hours. Mixture will have thickened.

To Finish the Latke:

Top crispy latke with chana masala, then top with a dollop of coconut yogurt, and a sprig of cilantro. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Rutabaga Latke with Braised Short Rib and Persimmon Gastrique

Yields 6 Latkes

Ingredients:

For the Latkes:

1 cup peeled and shredded potatoes

1 cup peeled and shredded rutabaga

1 tbsp grated yellow onion

3 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Method:

1. Gently squeeze the liquid from the shredded potato and rutabaga mixture using your hands or cheesecloth.
2. Add to mixing bowl with all other ingredients. Mix to combine.
3. In a sauté pan, heat oil until quite hot on medium high heat.
4. Form mixture into latke patties and place them carefully into the oil in the sauté pan.
5. Cook until golden brown on one side, flipping them when necessary.
6. Finish cooking the latke until evenly browned on both sides.  Place on a paper towel or napkin to drain excess oil for assembly.

For the Braised Short Rib:

1 lb Boneless Short Rib, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 carrot, large dice

1 small yellow onion, large dice

1 stalk celery, large dice

3 cups beef or chicken stock

1 sprig thyme

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over high heat.
3. When oil is very hot, sear the short rib on all sides.
4. When short rib is fully seared, add all vegetables and thyme, and reduce heat to medium.
5. Caramelize the vegetables, and deglaze with the stock.
6. Put into the oven and cook until just tender, approx. 1 and 1/2 hours, making sure that the stock is always covering the short ribs.
7.  Remove the short rib from the liquid, and let cool.
8. Strain the liquid and reserve liquid for the Persimmon Gastrique.

For the Persimmon Gastrique:

Reserved short rib cooking liquid

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup cider vinegar

1 sprig thyme, picked

2 cups persimmons, peeled and roughly chopped

Method:

1. Reduce the cooking liquid until it starts to form a glaze.
2. Add sugar, persimmons, thyme leaves, and cider vinegar.
3. Continue to reduce over low heat, until a nice glaze has formed, then remove from heat.

Assembly:

Gently slice the short rib and place upon the latke.  Drizzle the persimmon gastrique on top of the short rib and enjoy!

In:
• John Montone