Bloody Mary, Potato Latkes, Sweet Slow Roasted Beetroot Relish and Greek Yoghurt.

September 25, 2021

Bloody Mary, Potato Latkes, Sweet Slow Roasted Beetroot Relish and Greek Yoghurt.

When I was a kid my Father used to take me to M. Blooms & Sons on Whitechapel High Street, I always remember the sign over the door grandly stating ‘The Most Famous Kosher Restaurant in Great Britain’. It was a busy, noisy place, filled with the smell of chicken noodle soup, a real East End haunt running at top speed to the sound of clattering plates and the hum of deals being made. All conducted over bowls of delicious food. It was a place I loved to visit. My Father would have a Bloody Mary and would chat with Danny the waiter, they would discuss horseracing and form. I would sit, listening, people watching and munching on potato latke. Little clouds of heaven or at least that is what they felt like to me, lightly crispy on the outside and soft and creamy inside. They would bring me sugar, apple sauce and sour cream to dip these delicious mouthfuls, I would shake my head, I liked them just how they were, hot and plain from the skillet.

Throughout the years I have eaten many a latke and sadly now Blooms is no longer, it shut its doors years ago, but the memories of the Bloody Mary’s and latke treats with my Pa linger. This is the breakfast that reminds me of this special place and that special person. The sweetest of childhood comfort food memories.

Bloody Mary Tomato Juice

During the summer when there is a glut of tomatoes in the backyard I make up jars of this mix so I always have a few at the ready. It is incredibly simple to make and the difference it makes to the drink is quite astounding and so much better than tomato juice from a carton.

2.5 kilos ripe tomatoes

2 large red peppers

1 large red chilli

1 large onion

3 medium carrots

2 sticks celery

2 tspns salt

3 tspns sugar

Handful of fresh basil

Handful of flat leaf parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

Wash your tomatoes well and chop into small chunks, removing the core and stems. Place in a large heavy bottomed saucepan and heat up slowly. Whilst this is gently cooking chop up all your remaining vegetables into a fine dice. Add to the pan of tomatoes and bring it gently to a boil then lower the heat and simmer with a tight lid of on for an hour and a half. Occasionally stirring and pressing it down to extract all the juice from the tomatoes. Once cooked leave this to chill in the refrigerator. In small batches liquidize into a pulp, adding in the basil and the parsley. Pass this mixture through a fine sieve to make a smooth liquid. Stir in the lemon juice to taste. It is now ready to be the base of the drink.

The Ultimate Bloody Mary

Shot of Grey Goose Vodka

Ice cubes

Teaspoon freshly grated horseradish

Splash of Worcestershire Sauce

Splash of Tabasco

Bloody Mary tomato mix

Celery stick to serve

Fill a tall tumbler glass with ice cubes and pour over a shot of Vodka. Pour in your tomato mix and add to it your horseradish and sauces, stir, decorate and enjoy.

Potato Latke

Makes about 12

1 kilo of baking potatoes

1 fresh free-range egg

2 tspns salt

Handful of finely chopped dill

Handful of finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 large white onion

Matzo meal to bind

1 tspn baking powder

Firstly grate your potatoes into a bowl, I leave the skins on, as I like them to be as crispy on the outside as they can be. Take a clean dry tea towel and put your grated potato onto it, squeeze out as much of the water as you can from them. It is the starch left in the potato that helps them to be crispy. Put it all back into your bowl and grate your onion into the mix, add all of the other ingredients to the bowl and stir well. In a large skillet heat up about 1.5 cms of oil. When it is very hot add a large spoonful of the mix to the pan and squish it down to form a pancake about 1cm fat. I usually do about three at a time. You will start to see the outsides go brown and crispy when this happens carefully flip over and cook the other side. As they cook in batches keep them warm and let them drain off on a some kitchen roll. Serve them with thick Greek yoghurt and some roasted beetroot relish.

Slow Roasted Beetroot Relish

4 large beetroot

1 head of garlic cloves

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Sea salt freshly crushed black pepper

4 cornichons

Small handful flat leaf parley

Turn your oven on to a low heat 250 Fahrenheit/125 centigrade/gas mark 3. Cover a roasting dish with foil. Wash and trim your beetroot and cut them into large chunks. Place in the roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season well. Break your garlic bulb into cloves and sprinkle over the beetroot, cover tightly with foil and put in the oven for about 2 hours. Checking and shaking occasionally. The juices from the beetroot and the balsamic vinegar will become the base of your dressing. Once cooked take them out of the oven and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle take the skin of the beetroot and chop to a fine dice. Add some cornichons, finely chopped. In a mortar and pestle crush the roasted garlic and make a paste, trickle in the juice from the roasted beetroot. Add this to the roasted beetroot and gently stir together, garnish with a ripped up handful of flat leaf parsley.

Serve this relish with your warm potato latke and some Greek yoghurt on the side.
Sip your bloody Mary slowly.