Zucchini Latkes
This recipe proves you don’t have to wait until Chanukah to enjoy a latke.
You don’t have to wait ‘til Chanukah to enjoy a latke. This vegetarian dish was served to 28 of us on a tour of Israel as part of a home hospitality Shabbat dinner prepared and served by an Israeli chef in her home just outside the Old City of Jerusalem.
- 3 zucchinis
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons bread or pita crumbs
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano (chopped)
- ½ cup Parmigiano (Parmesan), finely grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Olive oil spray for baking/sunflower oil for frying.
- Yogurt to serve
Preheat oven to 345F. Grate the zucchini into a bowl. Add salt, pepper, cheese, eggs, oregano, bread or pita crumbs. Put in a strainer and dry the mixture as much as possible. Make small pancakes, teaspoon size or about one-half inch thick. Place in a baking pan. Lightly spray the olive oil on top and bake for about 30 minutes. Then flip them for 10 minutes more.
If frying, follow above directions, but instead of baking, use just enough sunflower oil to cover the bottom of a heavy 12-inch skillet. Drop the teaspoon-size zucchini batter into the hot oil and fry about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until they are a golden brown.
Two notes:
- Don’t touch the latkes until they need to be flipped, so they don’t absorb as much oil, according to the Israeli chef.
- When taking latkes out of the pan to dry, lay them on a brown paper grocery bag, not paper towels, which keeps them crispy, according to a cousin of mine, Terry Ziff, a chef who studied at The Culinary Institute of America in New York.
Serve with yogurt.
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