The first day of spring may be a hop, skip, and a jump away. But the weather here in Toronto clearly didn’t get the memo. As I write this snow is falling outside my window. Thankfully, the ground isn’t cold enough for the snow to accumulate in any major way. So I doubt I’ll have to take a shovel to it, but man, it’s still kind of crushing. And I know this isn’t the last of the snow, not by a long shot. That’s why I’m keeping my winter boots at the ready and recipes like today’s Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup in my back pocket. Let’s face it, we have at least another month of soup season ahead of us, so let’s dive right in.
I really struggled to arrive at a title for this particular recipe. Mostly because this isn’t really a single recipe. It’s actually five, which admittedly is a little over-the-top. But I am nothing if I am not that, so really this Latke Platter is very on-brand for me. This platter features a lot more than just latkes. There is Beet Horseradish Hummus, Dill Labneh, Gin-Cured Salmon, and Vanilla Bean Applesauce. Yes, there was absolutely no way in any universe that I was going to pack all of that into a clean title. But hey, grazing boards are by nature difficult to cleanly explain or sum up. The format is all about variety after all. Clearly, there’s a lot to cover here, so let’s get to it.
Sometimes creating a tasty piece of fusion is as simple as popping one dish on top of the other. While I’m not inclined to rob myself of praise, today’s mashup was really a no-brainer. Çilbir (Turkish Eggs) perched on top a golden potato rösti? Why wouldn’t you want something like that? I’m only surprised I haven’t seen it before. It is the perfect brunch food. Golden crispy potatoes to soothe any potential hangovers, delicately poached eggs with runny yolks, paired with the enlivening sharp tang of yogurt. This is the stuff brunch dreams. Oh and there’s chili butter! Yeah, you’re going to need this Cilbir Potato Rösti in your life.
If you think the recipes on this blog are a window into what I eat in my daily life, you’re sorely mistaken. Sure, there are dishes that work their way into my weekly rotation. But no I’m certainly not hand pleating dumplings on a Tuesday night. I want the food that appears on this blog to be special. ‘Company’s coming’ kind of food. Or ‘I feel like puttering around and being cozy in the kitchen’ kind of meals. So, when I call for deep frying, please believe this is not an everyday occurrence in our house. I don’t do it effortlessly on a daily basis. So yeah, I don’t ask you to deep fry something lightly. But when I do call for it in a recipe, you best believe it’s for a good reason and these Za’atar Potato Chips are a VERY good reason.
