Bitayavon Magazine, and Lemon Zucchini Pancakes

It's somewhat ironic. I pretty much drop from the face of the earth - stop updating my blog and feeding my readers. And next thing I know, I'm published in Bitayavon Magazine's winter issue. Go figure.

For those of you who don't know Bitayavon, it's a lovely quarterly kosher cooking magazine. I hope you'll pick up a copy this month, and check out my recipe.

Here's the original recipe, to tide you over until you get your copy.

Lemon Mint Zucchini Pancakes, adapted from Love and Olive Oil

makes 8 large pancakes 

My adaptation of this recipe calls for 1/4 cup of fresh herbs. I used a combination of lemon verbena, mint, and chives. The result was lemony and minty - just perfect with the zucchini. Other herbs would work well (oregano or dill). But if you don't have lemon verbena, try adding some lemon zest instead. The original recipe calls for that, and I think it would do a lot to brighten the flavors in the absence of lemon verbena. 

4 small zucchini (try to get the bright orange/yellow variety)

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs (I used a combination of lemon balm, chives, and mint)
salt to taste
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1/8 cup olive oil
Optional: Greek yogurt or sour cream, for serving

If you're using yellow or bright orange zucchini, just wash the zucchini and then grate them coarsely. If you're using green, you may want to peel it before grating. The green color of the peel can turn a little 'muddy.'

In a large bowl, combine the grated zucchini, garlic, shallot, ricotta, eggs, herbs, salt and bread crumbs. Stir well.

In a large, preferably cast iron, skillet, heat the olive oil. When it's nice and hot, add the zucchini batter in about 8 mounds. Each pancake should be 4-5 inches in diameter. Fry over medium heat, turning once, until browned and crisp. This will take about 10 minutes per side. Serve the pancakes right away, with yogurt or sour cream if desired.

Linking this up to Real Food Holidays Hanukkah Roundup. 

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Sweet Cooked Latkes (a.k.a. Chremslach)

If there is one food that is off limits in our home during the week, it's Latkes (Jewish potato pancakes). Don't get me wrong, I like them just as much as the next person, but they're just completely out of the question for an ordinary weeknight.   

The potatoes have to be grated fresh. Whether I grate them by hand or use the food processor, I get exhausted just thinking about doing that after a day of work. 

They have to be fried fresh, on the spot, immediately before eating. (At least in my opinion. Otherwise I just don't think they're worth the effort or calories.)

But these Latkes (known in some families as Chremslach) are different. They require no grating or washing of the food processor. You can make the batter ahead of time (!). You can even fry them in advance and serve them rewarmed or cold. They make for a special treat for my kids, and are manageable even on a non-Chanukah weeknight.

Sweet Cooked Latkes

These are very different than typical latkes, which are made with raw grated potatoes and onions. They are sweet and mild, but very delicious. And manageable on a weeknight because so much of the work can be done ahead of time!

3 large Idaho potatoes

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

about 1/2 cup canola oil, for frying

Peel the potatoes, cut them in chunks and put them in a saucepan covered with water. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1/2 hour, till they are nice and soft. You want them to mash easily. 

Drain the potatoes and mash them well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. (This part can be done up to a day ahead of time. Just refrigerate the batter till you're ready to use it. Bring to room temperature, if possible, before proceeding.)

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil's good and hot, spoon the potato batter in to form about eight roundish pancakes. Each one should be about an inch thick. 

Cook the pancakes for about 10 minutes on the first side. When you spot some nice brown crispiness underneath, it's time to flip them. (This part's easy - they are not at all runny and should flip nicely!) Flip them and then let them cook on the second side for another five minutes or so, till nicely browned. 

Serve immediately, or put aside for later. If you're going to serve them later, you can eat them cold, at room temperature, or rewarmed in the oven. 

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Sephardic Chanukah Donuts

A freshly fried homemade donut

Here is a wonderful Sephardic Chanukah treat I discovered last year. These really aren't so much donuts as sweet fried pillows of dough. They're so much easier than the traditional donut recipes where you have to roll out and shape the dough (and fill or ice the donuts, if you’re ambitious). This recipe takes just a few minutes of prep, plus I think it’s a lot tastier!

I served these at tonight's Chanukah get-together, intending it mostly for the kids (the adults had pecan pie) but we adults enjoyed it plenty. The platter was licked clean!

Sephardic Chanukah Donuts

You'll want to be sure to serve these fresh, within a few minutes of frying. 


2 teaspoons of dry yeast

1 cup water

1 t sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

2 cups flour

2 cups oil

First, make the dough: Combine the yeast, water, sugar and salt. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Add the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer. Let rise for two hours.

While the dough rises, make a topping. Here are a few choices; choose ONE.

• Make a simple dessert syrup by combining 3 cups sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice in a saucepan. Put in a little lemon zest or rose water if you like. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, till thick.
• Another good option (this is our favorite) is a simple cinnamon-sugar mix. I use 1 tablespoon sugar for a ½ cup sugar, but you might like yours more or less cinnamon-y.  I make a bowl of it and put it in the center of the table for dipping.
• Sprinkle the donuts with confectioner’s sugar.

Next, deep fry the donuts: Heat the oil to about 350 degrees. (You can drop a bit of the dough in to test it. It should puff up and sizzle.) Drop the dough into the hot oil 1 teaspoon at a time and fry till golden, flipping halfway through. You’ll probably need about a minute per side, but it depends on the exact temperature of the oil, so watch the puffs carefully.

Drain on paper towels and serve warm. Right before serving, sprinkle the donuts with dessert syrup, confectioner’s sugar, or cinnamon-sugar mix.

See my post on Yeast Spotting.

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