After going back and forth about what to make with my veggies last night, I decided on a kind of off-season meal. I made: herb-rubbed flank steak (with fresh rosemary from the garden), winter vegetable latkes (with carrots, turnips, and onions from the Box) with apple sauce, and spinach salad (spinach also from the Box) with garlic croutons and parmesan cheese with a blue cheese vinaigrette. Mmm-mmm good.
I have made variations on the vegetable latkes for the last two Hannukahs and though they were originally received with some doubt, they’ve become somewhat of a crowd pleaser. The ones I made last night were fairly simple and have been crowned “even better than the ones you made last time”, which is always nice to hear. Want to make them yourself? Here’s how (only attempt this if you’re the kind of person who can handle non-exact recipes):
Winter Vegetable Latkes
Wash and grate a couple of carrots, a turnip or two, a zucchini, perhaps a parsnip.
Mince some onions (equal to about 1/4 of the volume of the mixed grated veggies).
Wash, peel, and grate some Russet potatoes (you should have about a 2/3 potato to 1/3 veggie ratio). Rinse the potatoes frequently with cold water to keep them from turning color. Once they’re all grated, use paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible from them.
Throw everything in a big bowl and add an egg or two. Add 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of potato starch flour (regular flour also works, but add with caution, as it is more likely to result in a starchy latke). Add (plenty of) salt and pepper, to taste. Add some chopped green onions for color, if you haven’t used any green vegetables.
Heat a big pan with veggie oil until the oil pops when you sprinkle water over it. (Be sure to keep an eye on your pan as it heats, as unwatched oil leads to kitchen fires.)
Do one or two latkes at first, to make sure that a) the oil is hot enough, b) you’ve got a decent egg/flour ratio going on, and c) your seasonings all taste good. Fry away, draining cooked latkes on a plate with a paper towel on it. Serve hot with apple sauce and/or sour cream.
