An Italian celebrates Yom Kippur

I am not Jewish but my best friend is. For years he has been telling me about all his holidays and the traditional foods and I always look up them up and make them.
I love Jewish cooking. It is a lot like Italian. Use the very best ingredients, make them simply prepared and make them with love.

His wife, also a Diabetic, and I share tips with each other about our diets.
Jewish religion is based on the earth and the seasons, eating healthy and respecting where you came from and where you are today.

Well, that's my version of it, looking in from the outside.

Traditional Jews do not eat shellfish because shellfish are bottom feeders and therefore not healthy to eat. I can eat shellfish, so I combine tradition with what I like to make it a multi-cultural meal.

I found this recipe for caviar scallops over potato pancakes and then in the Shop-Rite's Jewish Calendar there was a recipe for Garbanzo Bean Potato Latkes.

I thought that by combining the 2 recipes I could make it Diabetic Friendly.

You could use Roasted Monkfish medallions or a nice firm whitefish in place of the Scallops.

When you have a high GI food like potatoes halving it with a low GI food like Garbanzos, makes the average GI well within the 'Under 50 GI' acceptable level for a diabetic and you can have potato latkes. Everyone wins !!!!

Garbanzo Bean Potato Latkes
* 1 baking potato, peeled
* 1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained
* 2 cloves garlic
* 3/4 tsp cumin
* 1 tsp kosher salt
* 1/2 tsp ground pepper
* 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 3 tbls matzoh meal
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup grated onion
* Vegetable oil, for frying

Scallops and Creamy Wine Sauce
* 3/4 cup Chardonnay or Sparkling Wine
* 4 black peppercorns
* 2 thyme sprigs
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 1 1/2 tablespoons crème fraîche
* 3/4 stick (6 tbls) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
* Salt
* 8 large sea scallops (1/2 pound)
* 1 tablespoon minced chives

MAKE THE PANCAKES:
1. Coarsely shred the potatoes and squeeze out any excess liquid. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the egg, matzo meal, onion and a large pinch of salt.
2. In food processor, blend beans, garlic, cumin, pepper and baking powder until almost smooth.
3. Stir in potato mixture.
4. Shape the mixture into 8 scallop-size cakes, about 1/2 inch thick; press the cakes to compress them.
5. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil until shimmering. Working in batches, fry the pancakes over moderately high heat until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Lower the heat if the pancakes brown too quickly and add more oil if necessary. Transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.

PREPARE THE SCALLOPS AND WINE SAUCE:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the Champagne with the peppercorns, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, shallot and lemon juice and boil over high heat until reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 15 minutes.
3. Strain the sauce into another small saucepan. Stir in the crème fraîche and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season lightly with salt. Cover the sauce and keep it warm.
4. Heat grill. Salt & pepper scallops. Brush with oil and grill, about 3 minutes each side. Remove.
5. Rewarm the potato pancakes in an aluminum pan on the grill. Arrange the pancakes on a platter and set a scallop on each one. Add the chives to the wine butter sauce and spoon over the scallops. Serve right away.
(Wine pairing: Marques de Riscal Rueda Verdejo (Spanish White)