Romanian Zucchini Potato Latkes
From “Joan Nathan’s Holiday Cookbook,” makes 18 large pancakes.
Ingredients
2 pounds zucchini
2 large russet or baking potatoes
1 medium onion
3 large eggs
Vegetable oil
3/4 cup matzo meal
Salt and pepper
Directions
Peel zucchini and grate all the way down to the seeds. Discard seeds. Squeeze out liquid.
Peel potatoes and grate into zucchini. Remove the liquid. (An easy way to do this is to put the potatoes and zucchini into a colander and squeeze.)
Grate onion and add to zucchini mixture. Add eggs, 1 teaspoon oil and matzo meal, starting with 1/2 cup and continuing to add more as necessary, until there is body to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and blend well.
In a large, heavy frying pan, heat a thin film of oil until almost smoking. Using a large, oiled tablespoon, spoon round portions of zucchini mixture into pan and brown on both sides. Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce.
Ada Shoshan’s Apple Latkes
From “Joan Nathan’s Jewish Holiday Cookbook,” makes about 18 large or 30 small latkes.
Ingredients
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups orange juice, yogurt or milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, depending
on taste and sugar content of liquid used
3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar
Directions
Mix eggs with orange juice, yogurt or milk in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture along with grated apples.
Heat a thin layer of oil in skillet. Drop 1 large tablespoon of batter per latke into hot oil. Cook until slightly golden on each side.
Hint: These behave like traditional breakfast pancakes; when bubbles start appearing in the pancake, they are almost ready to turn over.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.
Sweet Potato Latkes with Spiced Maple Syrup
From “The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking” by Phyllis Glazer with Miriyam Glazer makes 18 large or 30 small latkes.
Ingredients
Latkes:
1 pound sweet potatoes
2-3 eggs
1/4 cup matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
White pepper
Cooking oil (olive oil tastes best)
Chopped fresh coriander or mint leaves, for garnish
Dairy sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)
Sauce:
1 cup real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon grated, peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of salt
Pinch of white pepper
Directions
Scrub sweet potatoes, then peel and shred finely. Transfer to a wire-mesh strainer and squeeze to remove moisture. Let stand in strainer for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs, Add sweet potatoes, matzo meal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Let stand 5-10 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare sauce: In a small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients, heat over low heat and keep warm.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet and add a small ladleful of batter. Flatten gently and fry on both sides until golden brown. Add oil as necessary, and fry remaining latkes.
Place latkes on a paper-towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Serve hot with warmed sauce.
Five-Minute Chocolate Sufganiyot
From “The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking” by Phyllis Glazer with Miriyam Glazer makes 12-15 doughnuts.
Ingredients
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg, beaten
Oil, for frying
Powdered sugar
Directions
In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, coffee and spices toger. Stir in sugar. In a small bowl, mix yogurt and egg. Add to flour mixture and blend thoroughly with a fork.
Heat 1 inch oil in a large skillet. Use a medium-size (not large) ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measure to drop 4-5 individual sufganiot into pan. Fry briefly on one side, until lightly browned. Use tongs to turn them over and lightly brown the other side.
Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and let cool slightly before sprinkling with powdered sugar. As with all sufganiyot and most latkes, these are best made as close as possible to serving time.
Jackie’s Kvetch-Free Sufganiyot
Ingredients
1 can biscuit dough or cinnamon roll dough
Your favorite-flavor jam or jelly
Flour
Oil
Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar
Directions
Remove dough from can. Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin until it is about 1/4-inch thick.
Using a biscuit cutter or small glass, cut the dough into circles. Make an even number of circles.
Drop 1/2 teaspoon of jam onto a dough circle. Place another circle on top and then pinch the edges together.
Heat about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Gently place the filled circle into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, turning as needed.
Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Once slightly cooled, dust with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.
Serve right away. They’re most tasty while still warm.
