Homemade Holidays : An Exile in New York, a military brat, a mom who poached a tree. . .and the search for figgy pudding. ‘Tis the season to remember. With recipes. : Eight Days of Latkes

Last year my mother, who lives in Jerusalem, came to spend Hanukkah with me in California. When I go to spend the holiday with her, it’s always a busy time, with plenty of Hanukkah parties for our large family. This time it was just the two of us.

We spent lots of our time shopping. I’ve lived here 10 years, but it’s my mother who knows the stores of Santa Monica better than I ever will. We went to the mall to buy gifts for all my mother’s grandchildren. And we went to the Santa Monica farmers market because it reminds us both of the markets in Israel and Europe.

But mostly we cooked. On the first night of the holiday, we feasted on potato latkes, the traditional Hanukkah pancakes, topped with sour cream and applesauce.

Of course, to my mother, making latkes is no big deal. She just grabs some potatoes, a handful of onions, a couple of eggs . . . latkes are one of those recipes that mothers never measure.

On the second night of Hanukkah, we wanted a lighter holiday treat. So we experimented. We made low-calorie zucchini latkes and ate them with yogurt. My mother, the expert latke-maker of our family, pointed out that you can make latkes out of any food, as long as you add enough egg to moisten it, enough flour or matzo meal to hold it together, and enough salt and pepper to flavor it.

We had so much fun cooking together that night that we decided we’d prepare a different type of latke for every night of the holiday. Although we love potato latkes, we saw no reason why we shouldn’t celebrate with other vegetable pancakes. After all, when the Hanukkah miracle occurred more than 2,000 years ago, potatoes didn’t even exist in Israel. We made corn latkes (corn didn’t exist in Israel either), pumpkin latkes, spinach latkes with nutmeg and cauliflower latkes with sauteed onions. They all were delicious. My favorite new latkes were those we prepared on the seventh night--sweet-potato latkes, with a delicately sweet flavor and a lovely orange color.

On the eighth night we went back to potato latkes, but for a change we fried them in butter. This gave them a completely new taste. ‘You know,” admitted my mother, who is very health-conscious these days, “these are the tastiest potato latkes I’ve ever made.”

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These latkes are delicious on their own or accompanied by applesauce and either sour cream or yogurt. You can make them ahead and reheat them on a baking sheet in a 450-degree oven for about five minutes; but watch them carefully -- their edges burn easily.

SWEET-POTATO LATKES

1 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes

1 medium onion

2 large eggs

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

5 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup oil, about

Peel sweet potatoes. Grate sweet potatoes and onion, using grating disc of food processor or large holes of grater. Transfer to large bowl. Beat eggs with salt and pepper and add to potato mixture. Add flour and mix well.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, preferably non-stick. Fill 1/4-cup measure with sweet potato mixture, pressing to compact. Turn out in mound into skillet. Quickly form 3 more mounds. Flatten each with back of spoon so each cake is about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter, pressing to compact.

Fry over medium heat 3 minutes. Turn carefully with 2 slotted spatulas and fry second side about 2 1/2 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Stir potato mixture before frying each new batch and add little more oil to pan. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

269 calories; 497 mg sodium; 106 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 1.65 grams fiber.