What would Hanukkah be without Latkes?

Latke is the yiddish word for pancake. Traditional latkes are pretty basic: shredded potatoes, onions, egg, a bit of flour, all fried in oil. If you are lucky enough to  find goose fat, that would be the choice in oil, otherwise a pure olive oil will do just perfectly!

I like a medium grate when I grate the potatoes, but some swear by the thin grate, but I find it takes too much time with little texture benefit.

I do not normally add flour, matzah or bread crumbs and instead use a teaspoon of baking powder  and ¼ cup buckwheat, almond flour rice flour  or  (GMO free) corn starch. If you want to make these ahead of time, you may do so a few hours before, but leave them out at room temperature as refrigeration makes them soggy.  These can be reheated in an oven at 350 for 5-7 minutes in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

For years, I have made sweet potato latkes by replacing the yukon golds with sweet potatoes. More recently,  I expanded and used whatever vegetables I had available to add interest and spices to add surprise! Grated zucchini, carrots, parsnips, butternut squash all work equally well. The crispy, brown latke can be served for breakfast, lunch, dinner or make them smaller and serve as an hors d'oeuvres. Here we use kale, leeks and sweet potatoes

Instead of applesauce and sour cream, try strained yogurt with cilantro and shallots.

Spicy Vegetables Latke

1.5 cups, grated Sweet Potato (unpeeled) 

1.5  cups grated Parsnips (peeled)

½ cup leeks, halved lengthwise, and sliced very thin

½ pound kale, stemmed, washed, dried and finely chopped or cut in thin slivers (about 1.5 cups, tightly packed)

3 eggs blended

1 teaspoon baking powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 teaspoons cumin. (If you have cumin seeds, lightly toast and grind)

2 sliced green onions 

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1teaspoons sea salt

¼ cup buckwheat, rice or almond flour 

Heat oven to 200 and arrange paper towels on a cookie sheet.

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Heat a large skillet with medium heat and add oil. As soon as the oil shimmers, and before it smokes, drop a large tablespoon full of the batter into the oil and flatten a bit and allow to brown on one side. Turn and cook until brown on the other side. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Keep the latkes warm in the oven until serving, but not longer than 30 minutes as they will dry out.

The yogurt needs to drain at least 6 hours. Of course you can use “Greek” yogurt that is available in stores, but buyer beware! The shelves are loaded with fat free “yogurts that are nothing more than  concentrated milk proteins (something that's commonly obtained from the leftover whey at cheese factories)  starch, obtained from corn or tapioca, (Genetically Modified ) all to imitate expensive foods with cheaper ingredients that are not healthy. It is hard to find a full fat yogurt that is simply milk and cultures! (Hint: Mermaid Farm on Middle Road in Chilmark has the best)

Serve with strained yogurt and chopped cilantro. 

Yogurt and Cilantro with Shallots

One Container Mermaid Farm Yogurt  or any full fat yogurt

4 tablespoons cilantro minced

1 tablespoon minced shallots

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 

2 minced green onions

Line a strainer with cheesecloth and pour the yogurt into a strainer. The strainer should sit over a bowl to catch the whey and liquid. Allow to sit overnight, covered in the fridge. The following day scrape the yogurt off the strainer. Fold in minced cilantro, shallots, lemon juice, cumin, pepper and minced green onions. This will keep several days in the fridge.