A few days ago at the beginning of Hanukkah I really wanted to make latkas/potato pancakes in honour of the holiday. I was going through Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens and came across Irish Potato Cakes that were kind of similar to the latkas I made last year. Well I just had to make them and see how they compared!
You need two cups of mashed potatoes which I made fresh the way I like them with some herbed cream cheese. To them add 1 beaten egg, 2 tbsp of butter (I used softened) and 1 tsp of caraway seeds. Beat until fluffy.
Sift in 1 cup of flour, 3 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of salt. Knead lightly until well mixed.
Roll out on a lightly floured board to 1/4″ thickness. Cut into wedges.
The recipe says to fry in a greased pan over low heat until golden brown, five minutes per side. With my stove, that means at least medium heat, no way these would brown on low heat.
GET RECIPE!
Sprinkle generously with sugar as the Irish do and serve at once with plenty of butter. No butter for me, sour cream all the way and bliss! This is seriously one of the best dishes I have come across in a long, long time. I absolutely love the caraways seeds inside and my husband agreed too, this dish was fantastic! I give this recipe five out of five wooden spoons.
I could keep on recipe testing from Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens the rest of my life. There are recipes for candies, wines, cures and tonics… not to mention sharing the food history of the different people who have lived in Nova Scotia. I can see why author Marie Nightingale is known as Nova Scotia’s best-known food writer. Her two decades of writing for The Chronicle Herald as their food columnist is apparent in every page while keeping the authenticity of the original recipes’ spirit.
She even included the story as well as the recipe of Sally Lunns, the girl who peddled hot buns through the streets of Bath in England. Apparently this bread is a tradition in Nova Scotia as well, made into loaves as well as rolls. It was the first time I made a loaf of bread in a bundt pan!
As much as I would love to give this book five wooden spoons, I must hold back a little. This book will drive a new baker or cook crazy! Even though I have embraced the life of a foodie, even I found some of the recipes’ lack of instruction ridiculously frustrating. That said, I still adore this book.
Even if you do not have one single root from the Maritimes, you could learn a lot from Nimbus Publishing‘s Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens. I am absolutely fascinated with old recipes like rosehip jam, spiced gooseberries and rhubarb wine. This book is a gold mine when it comes to recipes of old. There is still so much to explore, I will hold on to this book as one of my kitchen treasures.
Making these fantastic Nova Scotia recipes has helped me connect a little more with this province through the universal ritual of food. I give this cookbook four and a half out of five wooden spoons.
The 40th anniversary edition? I have my Grandmother-in-Law’s copy that she picked up in 1971. I’ve made a few recipes from it, with mixed reviews. Still giggle over the instructions on how to skin an eel.
I have a cookbook from a small community in BC, my great-grandma supplied a few recipes for that one.
The tried and true old-fashioned…I love it!
Suzie – when we were touring PEI, one place we went to made their own mayo with NO oil….have you come across any recipes like that?
Susie, another great tutorial. Not what I expected, I would never have guessed that the dough was rolled out much like tea biscuits. Love your take on the recipe with the addition of caraway seeds to the original recipe. I have to agree with you that the sour cream is must. This is making me very hungry…as you said, a definite “five star”!
Cheryl, I bet my mother-in-law has the same edition you do! Yes, there are some recipes that have me raising my eyebrows, LOL, so I chose some pretty safe choice but there are crazy ones like the eel skinning instructions, I know.
JulieB, that sounds like quite the treasure of a cookbook! I checked the book, it doesn’t have a recipe for mayo at all, sorry about that!
Anna, wish I could take credit for the caraway idea but that was in the recipe. I did use an herbed cream cheese in the mashed potatoes originally though. I know, not what I was expected when I started to make them at all!
Oh those potatoe pancakes, oh man, those look really good. I’m with you, sour cream all the way. Is there anything better than potatoes anyway and then sour cream?? Yumm.
i just ordered a copy of this nova scotia cookbook. we have spent lots of time in your area and i love everything about it so i am sure i will really enjoy this book. thanks for sharing! i would never have known about it if you hadn’t!
I totally agree Tournesol, sour cream and potatoes were meant for each other!
Jaz, how cool that you ordered the book! I really hope that you enjoy it, it is something very special and fun to go through, you will definitely feel closer to Nova Scotia once you get it. It’s my pleasure to share good news about great cookbooks! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know, that is awesome I could help.
I just bought this. My mom didn’t have it but some of the recipes sound familiar (probably from those old women’s auxiliary cookbooks from back in the day). My husband and I are getting a kick out some of the instructions.
I’m thinking of making the Gingerbread. I love Gingerbread.
Chrisbookarama, it’s a cute book isn’t it? It’s a real blast from the past. The gingerbread was great but make sure to use a big enough pan! I screwed it up by using a small pan, gotta try it again. Good luck and enjoy!
My husband and I used to treat ourselves to potato farls on Saturdays when we made our full English breakfast. and I think these Irish potato cakes are exactly those farls! Fantastic. The only problem is that making them would require making sure he doesn’t eat all the mashed potatoes the night before. 🙂