We’re all familiar with the tradition of eating latkes on Hanukkah. Technically the word latke means a small pancake. Latkes may contain many ingredients besides potatoes, but the potato latke has become the go-to pancake for the holiday.
However, the potato pancake is a late comer to the latke world. In fact, it would have been impossible to have potatoes in pancakes before about the 1500s as potatoes are not native to Europe and were imported from the “New World”, the Americas.
Prior to potatoes becoming a latke staple, latkes were often made of cheese. There is a long standing tradition of cheese latkes stemming from the association of the story of Judith with Hanukkah. Judith, the heroine of the pseudonymous book of the Apocrypha, lived several centuries before the events of Hanukkah. However, her bravery in inspiring her countrymen to fight the Assyrian army provided a perfect theme for Hanukkah. As the story goes, Judith served the opposing general Holofernes a salty meal of cheese accompanied by lots of wine. When the general nodded off, Judith took the general’s sword and cut off his head. When she displayed the severed head to the Israelite soldiers, her bravery and daring inspired them to fight and win. In her honor, cheese dishes became an integral part of a Hanukkah meal.
For more information, history and recipes for Hanukkah foods, refer to Gil Mark’s comprehensive Encyclopedia of Jewish Food available in the Lampert Library and most public libraries.
Below is a selection of Hanukah latke recipes with ingredients from the “traditional” potato to one based on cheese . Finally is a variation provided by one of our member cooks.
And for all you Jersey girls and boys, how about Jersey disco fries for a Hanukkah dish that combines the best of traditional Hanukkah foods and techniques: fried potatoes and lots of gooey cheese. Meet you at the diner!
Batayavon!
John Lasiter’s Potato Latkes for a Crowd (makes about 60 latkes)
John is often Shomrei’s chef de cuisine when there’s a big event like last Sunday’s Hanukkah party where all 400 latkes were consumed with nary a crumb leftover. John perfected a baked latke to streamline production.
Naturally, you can reduce the ingredient amounts to suit your needs. Does best in a convection oven.
INGREDIENTS
6 pounds frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes, uncooked
1 dozen eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. potato starch (do not use flour)
2 1/2 cups grated onions, drained well
1 Tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Pour about 1/8 inch of oil onto a sheet pan.
3. Mix everything together and form into patties.
4. Place patties on baking tray. Spray tops of patties with vegetable oil.
5. Bake about 10 minutes. Flip latkes and turn pan 180 degrees.
6. Bake for another 4-6 minutes
7. Drain immediately.
Here are two classic cheese latke recipes from well-known Jewish cooks. Try them and remember that these pancakes don’t involve skinned knuckles. No grating needed.
Cheese Latkes from Tori Avey (makes 16-18 latkes)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup ricotta cheese
¾ cup flour
3 large eggs
2 tbsp granulated white sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp baking powder
Nonstick cooking oil spray, for frying
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine all ingredients except the nonstick oil in a food processor.
2. Process the mixture for about 45 seconds, pausing a couple of times to scrape the sides,
until the mixture forms a thick batter.
3. Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking oil and heat over medium.
4. Use a spoon to scoop up the batter, then pour it onto the hot skillet in the size/shape of silver dollar pancakes. Use 1-2 tablespoons of batter per pancake. Spread the batter out into a thin circle after it hits the skillet.
5. Fry the latkes for 2-3 minutes on each side until they turn golden brown. Test the first latke for doneness and make sure it’s cooked all the way through; if the latkes are browning faster than they’re cooking, reduce skillet heat. Expect some variation in the shape of the latkes, they won’t form a perfect circle. Serve immediately.
6. These latkes can be eaten plain or topped with a drizzle of honey. Other toppings include jam or preserves, sour cream, maple syrup, yogurt or agave nectar.
Note: You can also make these latkes using a gluten free flour substitute mix. They will take a bit longer to brown, but they’ll still taste great!
Kez Latkes (Cheese Pancakes) from Joan Nathan (makes about 12 pancakes)
INGREDIENTS
1 pound farmer’s cheese
3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons sour cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Place the cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, and sour cream in an electric mixer, blending well.
2. Line a frying pan with vegetable oil and heat.
3. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of cheese mixture into the pan and fry a minute or so on each side to cook through.
4. Drain on paper towels.
This final recipe is courtesy of Melissa Elbaum, one of our new MESH cooks and a Preschool parent. She shared this recipe with me when we were working together recently at MESH. It is a slightly modified version of a recipe from Agudat Achim, Melissa’s grandmother’s synagogue which has a reputation for great food. The latkes can be served with either plain sour cream or cayenne spiked sour cream.
Southwestern Latkes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup corn
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon grated fresh gingerroot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, separated
vegetable oil for frying
DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all ingredients except whites and oil.
2. Beat whites at high speed until stiff and fold into mix.
3. Heat oil in skillet and spoon batter by tablespoons into oil.
4. Fry until golden brown on each side.
5. Drain on paper towel. Serve with sour cream (or spicy sour cream).
image: “latkes1a” © Patsy K used with permission via Creative Commons License
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