Enjoy Life Latkes

Posted Dec 14, 2011 | By Linsey Herman |

Even though the days grew shorter and colder in my New England hometown, I looked forward to December and the arrival of Hannukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. While other families in the neighborhood strung colored lights over wintering evergreens and leaf-stripped trees, my family lit candles on the menorah, the 9-pronged candlestick holder symbolic of the holiday. My favorite night was the first night, the only time of year when my mother would prepare a never-ending batch of potato pancakes, or latkes, and serve them with homemade applesauce and sour cream.

Every family has their own latke recipe. My family’s came from my great-grandmother, who my mother claims was the most talented cook in the family. The recipe has changed little over the years. What makes this recipe unusual is the carrot, which gives the pancakes a slight orange hue and prevents them from turning grey. The pancakes, once cooked, are a little greasy — make sure you keep lots of paper towels on hand to sop up the oil!

My mother’s original recipe required a half-cup of flour and four eggs. I’ve adapted the recipe to make it both gluten-free and egg-free. The resulting pancakes are crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. In this recipe I’ve replaced the flour and eggs with three ingredients: Enjoy Life’s Crunchy Flax cereal, ground into crumbs; finely milled rice flour; and tapioca flour. The resulting pancakes would make Mom proud!

Enjoy Life Latkes

Makes about 12 each 4” diameter pancakes

• 4 large russet or other starchy potatoes, peeled and chopped into quarters
• 2 small yellow onions, peeled and halved
• 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled, or one large carrot
• 3/4 C Enjoy Life Crunchy Flax cereal, ground into 3 T. of fine crumbs
• 1 T. tapioca flour
• 1 T. finely milled white rice flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/2 tsp. sea salt (more to taste)
• pepper to taste
• oil for frying pancakes

Procedure:

Soak potatoes, onions and carrots in cold water for at least 30 minutes. Drain.

Using the coarse zesting side (not grater side) of a box grater, grate carrots, onions and potatoes into a fine paste. If you prefer to use a food processor, use the shredding attachment to grate all the ingredients and then switch to the blade to finely chop the grated vegetables. Once finely chopped, empty into a mesh colander and drain off the liquid into a bowl (there will be 1-1/2 cups or so). Reserve about 2 T. to add back to the batter should you need it. Whisk in Enjoy Life Crunchy Flax cereal crumbs, flours, baking soda, and salt and pepper. The batter will have an orange hue and will feel dry and a little gritty — it should not be wet or runny. If too stiff and does not hold together as a batter, whisk some of the potato water back in, one tablespoon at a time, until it is the desired consistency.

With your hands, take about 1/4 C of batter and form into a 1/4” thick round patty. Gently place it in a hot non-stick skillet filled 1/4” deep with the vegetable oil of your choice. The pancake will break apart or have jagged edges if you try forming it once it has been placed in the pan. After about 4 minutes, when the sides have started to brown and the pancake becomes translucent at the top, flip over. Fry for another 3-5 minutes or until the bottom is also golden. Remove from oil and place on several layers of paper towels to absorb oil. Flip sides to pick up as much oil as possible. This may be repeated several times.

Transfer to a serving plate. If reheating later or freezing, place on a parchment or foil-lined sheet pan and lay the pancakes down in a single layer. You can freeze them this way and then transfer them to plastic bags once frozen. They may be frozen for up to 60 days.

We have found that we like these pancakes best when they are reheated rather than right out of the pan. To reheat the pancakes preheat the oven to 425° F. Lay pancakes in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with foil. Place in oven for 8-10 minutes, or until warmed through and crisp on the outside. Pat with paper towels and serve with apple sauce or sour cream (if allowed).