Hanukkah Latkes in a new way...

As I was sitting at work I realized that it was the first night of Hanukkah. Granted my kids are grown and in California. There isn't much to do with just the two of us. We will have a Hanukkah dinner for friends next weekend but until then I wanted to do something. I didn't have much time to whip something up so I stopped by the grocery store to buy a few things. Mainly stuff to make a Latke recipe that looked "interesting".



Meantime my sweet little Habtamu that lives next door wanted to celebrate Hanukkah too. He bought me a treat (well actually he got me beet borscht and a Hanukkah cake too) and assured me that he would be back tonight. I am making HIM injera and he is bringing me Hanukkah goodies. How multicultural can you get? I am sure you remember Habtamu. He was my Sherpa in the ill fated Project Food Blog project that got me booted out of the contest. How could they with this face?



Ok on with it... So, I took a short cut with the chicken



Yeah, I know. On with the Latkes. Let me just stop to say that some things stay the same for a REASON. I notice this year that it is the trend to try to make Latkes in a "new and hip" way. WRONG. Jews have been eating POTATO latkes on Hanukkah for a reason. No beets, no carrots, no zucchini, Potato, onion, a little bit of flour and an egg or two. Period.



I made BEET latkes. Ew. Not good. Here is how it started... First you take beets and you grate them. See the lovely picture above that is how blog posts usually show the ingredients. Now for what it REALLY looked like



Yeah, not so great eh? If I showed you what my clothes and floor looked like you would not make this recipe at all. Meantime, I forged ahead with it.



Meantime I made the celery and cilantro relish that went with it. This was good enough to eat by itself and not be wasted on the beet pellet.



They aren't even good for you. They are fried.



And they tasted even worse then they look. It isn't natural for a latke to be red.

Happy Hanukkah!

Cumin-Scented Beet Latkes
Bon Appétit | December 2004

6 cups coarsely shredded peeled beets (about 6 medium)
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large eggs, beaten to blend

Canola oil (for frying)


Place beets in large bowl; press with paper towels to absorb any moisture. In another large bowl, whisk flour and next 5 ingredients. Mix in beets, then eggs.
Pour enough oil into large skillet to cover bottom; heat over medium heat. Working in batches, drop beet mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into skillet; spread to 3 1/2-inch rounds. Fry until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer latkes to baking sheet. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.)


Serve latkes relish.

Celery and Cilantro Relish

2 cups finely diced celery
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Season relish with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 30 minutes. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)