Yucca Latkes
Courtesy of TI Congregant Leticia Schwartz (chefleticia.com)
Makes 12 small pancakes
2 medium yuccas, about 1½ lbs total
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons (15g) grated Parmesan
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons (48g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup canola oil
1. Peel both layers of the yucca; the outer brown layer and the inner white layer. Wash the yucca and cut in half (not lengthwise) and then in quarters lengthwise. Remove the woody center if the yucca has one (most do). Using the smaller grader blade of the food processor (or you can grade by hand), grade the yucca and turn into a bowl (you should have about 2 cups or 375g).
2. Add the egg whites, Parmesan and season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well, making sure yucca is nicely coated and well-seasoned.
3. Heat butter and oil in a large shallow frying pan over medium heat. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the yucca mixture and press in your hands, first as a “ball” then flat into small, thin patties. Working in batches, place them in the pan, without adding too many at once. Fry them over medium heat, until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil, place on a sheet pan lined with paper towels while you cook the rest. Serve hot as a side dish or main course. You can re-heat these pancakes quite easily in a 350˚F oven for 10 minutes.
Zucchini Latkes
Courtesy of TI Congregant Lauren Braun Costello (@ItsLaurenOfCourse)
Makes 4-6 latkes
1 cup labneh juice and zest of two Meyer Lemons
6 medium zucchini, skin-on (or 4 large)
½ bunch mint leaves (stems discarded), chiffonade
3 tablespoons matzo meal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper or to taste
vegetable oil for frying
1. First make the labneh. Combine the Meyer Lemon zest and juice with the labneh. Season with salt, if desired. Set aside.
2. To make the latkes, grate the zucchini either in a box grater or in a food processor. Place the grated zucchini on a clean dish towel. Gather the dish towel to enclose the zucchini and squeeze as much of the liquid from the zucchini as possible.
3. Combine the strained zucchini, mint, salt, pepper, matzo meal and eggs in a large bowl. Beat well with a fork to combine.
4. Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil (or any high flashpoint oil) in a sauté pan. Once the oil is hot and shimmering—but NOT smoking—add ¼-cup dollops of latke batter to the oil and flatten with the back of a heatproof spatula. Cook the latkes for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Be sure to manage the heat source so that the oil does not smoke (likely medium to medium-low).
5. Drain the latkes on a tray or plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of salt and the Meyer lemon labneh, or keep warm until service in a 250F oven
Vegetable Tempura
Courtesy of TI Congregant Lauren Braun Costello (@ItsLaurenOfCourse)
Makes 4-6 servings
Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Tempura Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli, trimmed and cut into long spears
4 carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut lengthwise in half or quarters
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices
2 cups flour
2 large eggs
2 cups very cold seltzer (or ice water water or very cold beer)
zest of 1 lemon
vegetable oil for frying
1. First combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In deep fryer, 8-quart stockpot, or Dutch oven with a candy thermometer attached, heat oil (over medium heat if not in a deep fryer) to reach 375ºF.
3. To make the tempura batter, whisk the flour, egg, salt, and seltzer (or water or beer) in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined and all lumps have been removed. Add the lemon zest to the tempura batter and mix just to combine.
4. Working with three pieces of vegetable at a time, dip the broccoli spears/carrot batons/sweet potato discs into the tempura batter to fully coat. Holding the end of one broccoli stalk/carrot/sweet potato, remove from the batter and allow excess batter to drip off before placing in the oil. Then place the head of the broccoli stalk/end of the carrot/sweet potato slice 1-inch deep into the oil while still holding the stem/end. Hold for three seconds and then gently release (to avoid sticking to the bottom on the pan!). Repeat with remaining vegetable pieces.
5. With a spider or slotted spoon, gently turn each piece in the oil after about 30 seconds and cook until the tempura coating is light brown and the vegetables are cooked crisp tender, about 90 seconds. Remove the tempura to a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining vegetables, in batches of three. Continue to adjust heat in order to maintain an oil temperature of 375ºF.
6. Serve the broccoli tempura immediately with the dipping sauce.
Chanukah Bark
Courtesy of TI Congregant Lauren Braun Costello (@ItsLaurenOfCourse)
Makes 16 cups of bark
1 pound dark chocolate 4 ounces white chocolate
16 chocolate gelt (coins) blue and white sprinkles or nonpareils
white sugar pearls
silver and gold confetti sprinkles
miniature chocolate chips
Chop the dark chocolate and melt in a double boiler over moderate heat, or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour the chocolate in a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread evenly with an offset spatula to fill the sheet pan. Melt the white chocolate in a similar manner and drizzle over the dark chocolate. Place the Chanukah gelt atop the chocolate bark. Scatter sprinkles and miniature marshmallows. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour, until the chocolate bark is fully set. Remove and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.