Lotsa Latkes for Hanukkah

Nothing says Hanukkah like a fresh-off-the-griddle batch of latkes. If you like to experiment with new flavors, we’ve got you covered.

Nina Safar, cookbook author and the food blogger behind Kosher in the Kitch, gives her latkes an extreme makeover.

“Potato latkes are as exciting as vanilla ice cream,” said Safar. “I’m sure there are the purists who believe it’s best to stick with tradition, but I like to mix things up in the kitch.”

Safar loves poutine, a Canadian dish that features french fries with cheese curds (or mozzarella, according to Safar) and is topped with a thick layer of gravy. 

“It’s got carbs and gravy; can I get an amen?” Safar said. “I decided to swap the fries with some crispy potato latkes to make poutine latkes.”

Poutine Latkes

Ingredients:
Latkes
1 lb shredded potatoes (4 cups).
Note: Frozen works great. Just defrost
the bag first.
1 small onion, shredded
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon flour
Optional: 3 tablespoons chopped green
onions

Gravy
2 tablespoons Earth Balance (vegan
butter) or real butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce (add more if you
want a darker gravy)
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into
small pieces (or shredded mozzarella)

• Combine latke ingredients. Place about two tablespoons of neutral oil in a large pan over medium-to-high heat. Using a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon, scoop out latke batter and carefully place in the pan. Fry up in batches — don’t crowd the pan — until both sides are golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• To make the gravy, melt butter in a medium pot over low heat. Add flour and whisk until combined. Slowly add broth. Whisk until combined. Continue whisking over medium heat until mixture thickens. Season with pepper. Add soy sauce and stir to combine.
• Place two latkes on a small plate or bowl then top with mozzarella. Layer hot gravy over cheese and serve immediately.

Follow @kosherinthekitch on Instagram for more fun latkes and other foodie ideas.

Samantha Ferraro, The Little Ferraro Kitchen, said her favorite Hanukkah traditions are frying latkes, like her mom did, and lighting the menorah.

“My mom always made traditional potato latkes with zucchini,” Ferraro told the Journal.

“Over the years, I’ve had fun creating twists with latkes and latke toppings.”

Ferraro’s recipe for Taro Latkes with Poke and Wasabi Sour Cream is a combination of her Jewish upbringing and growing up in Hawaii.

Taro Latkes with Poke and Wasabi Sour Cream

1 medium sized taro, about 3 cups of
shredded taro
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Wasabi Sour Cream
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder or wasabi paste (more if you like it hotter)

Poke
5 ounces sushi grade ahi cut into
1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoon shoyu soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon seaweed
1 teaspoon Hawaiian salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• For the taro latkes, cut off the outer thick layer of taro and shred using a hand grater. (It’s too starchy for a food processor shredder). Combine the shredded taro in a bowl along with the egg, flour, salt and pepper and mix to combine.
• Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with enough oil to coat the bottom. Use a tablespoon of mixture and gently add it to the hot oil. It should sizzle immediately once oil is ready. Fit about 4 latkes (depending on size of pan) and fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
• Reserve latkes to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with additional salt.
• For the wasabi mayo, mix the sour cream and wasabi paste.
• For the poke, add the cubed ahi to a bowl along with soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, seaweed, Hawaiian salt and pepper. Toss to combine. 
• Assemble the latkes with a dollop ofwasabi sour cream on each \ latke and top with poke.

The holiday of Hanukkah is celebrated as a reminder that against all odds, we prevailed against Antiochus IV and took control of our Temple once again. 

“While most concentrate on the miracle of oil lasting for eight days, Culinary Judaics Academy (CJA) likes to teach how we, today, can channel our own inner Maccabee to accomplish great things, both personally and for our communities,” CJA founder Danny Corsun told the Journal. “It’s by not just celebrating Maccabees, but being Maccabees, can we be our best selves and help craft the world in which we all wish to live.” 

Of course, CJA cooks with oil to celebrate the festival of lights. “But why just have your basic run-of-the-mill latkes when you can get creative?” Corsun, who created Apple Latkes, said.

Apple Latkes (Fritters)

This particular recipe is a departure from the customary savory potato variety and goes more for a sweet pancake. The cooking method is much the same, but the main ingredient here are apples and no one will be disappointed with this almost dessert version of the classic! (For a lower fat version, instead of frying the pancakes, you can simply bake them.

1 large Granny Smith Apple
1 large sweet apple (such as Gala or
HoneyCrisp)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins
(golden or regular)
1 egg
3 tablespoons flour – adjust depending
on the moisture of the mixture
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt

• Coarsely grate apples and transfer into a bowl. Try to wring out all the moisture from the grated apples; you can use a cloth to squeeze out the water. Beat the egg and add cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, salt, maple syrup and vanilla and combine. At this point, you can add the raisins and mix. 
• Using a large soup or serving spoon, scoop some of the apple mixture and press down with your hand, flattening the mixture and draining any excess liquid. Carefully slide the latke off into the hot oil and let fry for several minutes and then flip. Remove when both sides are golden brown. 
• If baking, place the latke on pre-sprayed parchment paper (any non-stick spray will do) and then spray the tops of each latke to get them to crisp up in the oven. Bake at high heat (450°F) for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and then flip. Cook for another 2 minutes and remove. Serve warm with some cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top and a dollop of whipped cream.   

“When you have a spice blend called, ‘Whole Latke Love,’ you gotta make it!” chef Jeff Frymer told the Journal.

For some time, he has wanted to highlight the miraculous work of Shemesh Farms, which provides meaningful employment and community to adults with diverse abilities. Hanukkah was the perfect opportunity. 

A farm social enterprise and an innovative initiative of the Shalom Institute, Shemesh Farms crafts spice blends, honey and other organic products. 

“I want to give a special thank you to Willow Cox and all the Shemesh team who created and got my order to me in time for me to create this recipe,” Frymer said.

Whole Latke Love – Zucchini Latkes

1 medium zucchini, washed and ends
trimmed
1 medium onion
6-8 medium sized cremini (baby bella)
mushrooms, cleaned
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Whole Latke Love spice
blend (chives, green onion, pink
peppercorn, Himalayan salt)
1/2-3/4 cup avocado oil

*I’ve omitted some typical latke ingredients – potato, flour/matzo meal – to make them gluten-free and keto-friendly.

• A food processor with grater attachment works, but hand grating with a medium grater works just as well. The process for zucchini and onion is to first grate each, squeeze out the extra liquid using a clean dish towel, then add to a mixing bowl.
• Grate and add mushrooms to the mix. Add eggs and spices and thoroughly mix all ingredients together. Heat about a quarter cup of oil in a 10-inch pan to medium high heat or just before oil starts to smoke.
• Give the mixture a few stirs to re-incorporate any separation of eggs, then scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and gently (please be careful when adding to hot oil, keep the spoonful low and steady) add to the pan. Use the back of the spoon to shape into round disks about 1/4-inch thick. Leave space to do three at a time, which I find easiest. 
• Allow to cook about 2 minutes per side (the edges will start to crisp up). Since this recipe omits flour and potato, use a large enough spatula to prevent breakage as you loosen and gently flip latkes over. Allow to cook another couple minutes then gently place on a plate with paper towels to drain excess oil. Dab the top of latkes with paper towels as well before plating them for serving.
• Note: I can do a couple batches before needing to pour out remnants of used oil. Carefully wipe the pan clean of burned bits, and start fresh with remaining oil for next couple batches.
• This recipe makes 10. For those of you who counted only 9 on the plate in the photo, we all know how fresh-outta-the-pan latkes mysteriously disappear.
• Serve as is, with sour cream (my personal favorite), applesauce and cinnamon or with sugar if you gotta.

No latke, or latke roundup, would be complete without applesauce.

“Making applesauce with my own hands, in a small batch, in my own oven, is my way of elevating the ordinary,” Debby Segura, a designer, gourmet cook and cooking teacher, told the Journal. 

“Every year, as the aroma of apples slowly baking with sugar and cinnamon fills my home, I know I’m crafting something special that will make my latkes and my Hanukkah extraordinary,” she said. 

It’s the bright red, slightly tart cranberries that make this applesauce so festive. However, if you are an applesauce traditionalist, just add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and leave out the cranberries.

Cranberry-Applesauce 

(Generously serves 12-16 as a Latke side dish)

4 large apples , peeled, cored and cut into
½” cubes (Galas or Golden Delicious
work best)
1 ½ cups raw cranberries, fresh or frozen
½ cup of sugar

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a deep 9-inch round casserole, combine the apple cubes, cranberries and sugar and mix well. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the center of the preheated oven for about 50 minutes.  
• Remove the casserole from the oven and stir. Return the casserole to the oven, uncovered, until the apples are quite tender and most (but not all) of the liquid has evaporated.  
• Mash or blend to desired consistency, being careful not to puree the mixture. Taste and add up to ¼ cup sugar if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Happy Hanukkah!