Add homemade lox to your latkes with deli-inspired Hanukkah ideas from Middle Child

At Middle Child, the Washington Square West luncheonette opened this year by Voorhees native Matt Cahn, the mornings often smell like hash browns cooking on the griddle.

It’s an aroma that can evoke memories of the cornerstone of a traditional Hanukkah dinner — latkes sizzling on the stove. Growing up, Cahn said, the Hanukkah celebrations with his parents, brother, and sister included all the holiday traditions — a dreidel, opening presents — but that when it came to the food, those fried potato pancakes were the most important part of the night.

Thanks to family recipes, latkes may also be the Hanukkah food with which home cooks are the least inclined to experiment, Cahn said.

“Everyone has their own latke recipe," he said. “You could try and mess with it, but when you get down to it, nobody wants that.”

So for Cahn, who recently whipped up a few festive dishes to add to a Hanukkah table, that means it’s all about the toppings. Behind the lunch counter of his 11th Street restaurant, Cahn suggested trying a breakfast-for-dinner spin on a latke, topping it with fluffy scrambled eggs, parsley, and a pile of pale pink lox. He added pan-fried capers to give the dish a briny crunch.

The finished product, with onions cooked into the latke, was his version of a “leo” — a traditional lox, egg, and onion breakfast offered at some Jewish delis.

“It’s kind of a throwback to that dish,” he said. “A fresher way to eat it."

At Middle Child, Cahn serves classic diner fare and food with modern touches, like a vegan hoagie that tastes like pho. One of the most popular menu items is lox, which Cahn and his team have been curing in-house since they opened. It’s a home kitchen project he now pushes others to try.

“It’s so easy. Nobody knows it’s easy," he said. "I tell people, stop buying it.”

Cahn buys his salmon from John Yi Fish Market in Reading Terminal Market, then places each filet on a bed of dill. He rubs it with salt and sugar, along with spices like white pepper and coriander. A sprinkling of lemon zest goes on top, and he then covers it with plastic and weighs the fish down with a plate. As it chills in the refrigerator over a few days, the salt draws out the moisture and forms a crust, hardening the outside of the fish as it turns into easy-to-slice lox.

“Jews smoke lox, but we don’t have a smoker,” he said. “So we serve gravlax.” The resulting fish, a traditionally Nordic dish, tastes bright, fresh, and a bit less salty than smoked lox.

Cahn recommended a few more tweaks to enhance traditional Hanukkah food without changing it too much. As an accompaniment to thick slices of toasted challah, he suggested butter infused with the salty, addictive flavors of everything bagels. Pre-made “everything” spice blends are now sold at shops like Trader Joe’s, but he said home chefs can easily customize their own using dried minced onion, sesame and poppy seeds, garlic, and toasted nigella or caraway seeds.

In fact, he said, making butter is also a fun project for families with kids to work on together — no wooden churn needed. All it takes is a mason jar, some heavy cream, and a small army of helpers to take turns shaking it. After 10 or 15 minutes, a solid lump should form as the buttermilk separates, and then seasonings can be added.

Cahn also prepared a riff on one of his father’s favorite dishes: kasha and bow ties, a hearty combination of grains and pasta often prepared simply with egg and chicken schmaltz. Cahn’s father, Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn, is a longtime devotee of the simple recipe as it’s prepared by Cahn’s mother.

“He thinks it’s the greatest thing that ever happened to him," Cahn said.

Inspired by a dish he recently had at Rittenhouse’s Res Ipsa Cafe, Cahn prepared his version with buckwheat, chicken broth and fat, and added grated beets and onions that he sauteéd in oil. The beets added color as well as a comforting, rustic flavor.

“I like kasha because it’s something that appears in a lot of cultures,” he said. The grain is a staple of dishes throughout much of Central and Eastern Europe but also in parts of South America. And, somewhat unlike latkes and butter, “it’s also healthy for you.”

Makes about 5 large or 8 small latkes

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled

1 medium Spanish onion, peeled

1 egg

2½ tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons salt

Frying oil and/or chicken or duck fat

Optional for toppings: lox, scrambled eggs, pan-fried capers, fresh parsley, dill, chives.

DIRECTIONS

— Matthew Cahn of Middle Child

Serves 5 to 7

INGREDIENTS

1 pound salmon filet (highest grade available, deboned with skin on)

1½ cup sea salt

1½ cup white sugar

4 tablespoons coriander, lightly crushed

3 teaspoons white pepper

3 teaspoons minced garlic (use minced and smoked garlic, if available)

1 lemon

1 bunch fresh dill

DIRECTIONS

— Matthew Cahn of Middle Child

Makes just under 2 cups of butter

INGREDIENTS

1 quart heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon poppy seeds, toasted

2 teaspoons nigella seed, toasted (use caraway if nigella is not available)

2 tablespoons dried, minced onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1½ teaspoons sea salt

DIRECTIONS

— Matthew Cahn of Middle Child

Serves 5 to 7

INGREDIENTS

¾ lb. dry farfalle

3 medium Spanish onions, peeled

1 large beet, peeled

5 to 6 tablespoons butter, chicken fat, or duck fat

1 large egg

2 cups buckwheat

3 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 bunch fresh dill

1 bunch fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

— Matthew Cahn of Middle Child