Carrot & feta latkes
By Tali Simon | December 4, 2012
Latkes might be my favorite food…next to iced coffee. Which would make Chanukah my favorite holiday, at least food-wise. Five more days! I hope you’re collecting recipes.
I love how just about anything passes for a latke. Your bubbe might have only used white potatoes, but today everything goes. Beets, zucchini, apples, spinach, cauliflower. Oh, and sweet potatoes, of course. I’ll have a recipe for that version up next week.
But first let’s talk about carrot & feta latkes.
With their earthy flavor, carrots make a great base for a fritter. In this version, they’re punctuated with thinly sliced onion, cubes of feta, and fresh chopped cilantro. Try not to skip the cilantro — it has a kick to it that complements the feta wonderfully.
If you’ll be having a crowd over this Chanukah and feel you have to make classic latkes for the kids, I totally get that. But then make some carrot & feta ones for the adults. You’re basically guaranteed a few new best friends.
Embrace the grease stains.
One year ago: Sunday barley vegetable soup
Adapted from BBC’s Good Food
Yield: 22-25 latkes
Ingredients
- 6 large carrots, shredded
- 1 large onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 cup cubed feta cheese
- 6 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (in Hebrew: cusbara)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup matzah meal
- 4 eggs
- canola oil, for frying
Directions
1. Chop the onion slices into a few sections so they’re smaller (which makes them fit better in the latkes). Combine carrots, onion, feta, cilantro, cumin, salt, matzo meal, and eggs in a large bowl. The consistency of your mixture may vary, depending on the size of your carrots. If the batter seems too dry, add another egg. If it seems too wet, add another 1-2 Tbsp matzah meal.
2. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over low heat. Fill a ¼-cup measuring cup with latke batter, turn it upside down over the skillet, and gently tap it out into the oil. Use a fork to press the mound into a patty (you can use the back of the measuring cup, too, but your fork probably has a longer handle).
3. Fry for 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and crispy. Serve hot with sour cream.
4 Comments
Abigail on December 4, 2012 at 2:43 pm.
These look delicious!
Yiska Ben Avraham on December 5, 2012 at 9:10 pm.
Yes they do! How fun! (she says as she eats her Perfect Split Pea Soup)
This American Bite on December 10, 2012 at 10:01 pm.
When I see a recipe like this along side photos this beautiful, I question our decision to have a fleshig only kitchen.
Tali Simon on December 12, 2012 at 10:19 am.
Fleishig-only kitchen…!? That is true praise.