Carrot Latkes ... Light Lunch or Appetizers

These little fried latkes give tradition such a tweek on the nose! They're sweet and crunchy on two fronts - from the carrot flesh and from the fast crisping that they get in a wee bit of fry oil. What a treat! I made them as a light lunch. With a dollop of Greek yogurt and a little mound of cilantro chutney, they were delicious little bites. So tasty and different!

This little jar of chutney made a perfect topper over the Greek yogurt. It's produced down the road in Hancock, New Hampshire. Nila has an entire line of different chutneys and toppings that are so imaginative and tasty! If you're curious, link here to see her home page. I find Nila's products at the Keene Farmer's market, but they are for sale on the Internet and in many area stores. How's that for a plug?

The recipe made 16 little latkes that are around 2 inches across. A serving of six is perfect for a lunch. The rest of the batch is being stored on paper towels and covered up in the microwave, as I have a plan for appetizers when it's time for a glass of wine. They really are perfect cocktail fare. I plan to zap the latkes in the microwave, switch up the topping by using a crumble of goat cheese and putting the latkes on thin gluten-free nut and rice crackers so that we can knosh them as finger food.

Carrot Latkes

a recipe from

power foods -150 delicious recipes with the 38 healthiest ingredients

Ingredients:

 

3 good sized carrots, peeled and grated (1 ½ c)
2 stalks celery, minced ( ¾ c )
1 medium onion, finely grated, drained, and squeezed dry ( ½ c. )
¼ c. Panko bread crumbs
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
½ c. chopped chervil or parsley
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 to 4 tbsp. canola oil (a neutral flavoured oil)
½ c. Greek style yogurt, whisked to a smooth creamy consistency

 

Making the Dish:

 

1. Finely grate the onion and set it to drain over a small dish while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Turn the grated carrots, minced celery, eggs, bread crumbs, green herb, salt and black pepper in a deep bowl.
3. Squeeze the excess moisture from the onion. Add the dry squeezed onion and mix lightly with two forks.
4. Using two soup spoons, scoop small amounts of the latke mix and press the mounds together using the spoons to make oval-shaped latkes. Transfer the latkes to a plate beside the stove. You should have enough carrot mixture to make 16 small latkes.
5. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add 2 tbsp. of the oil and tilt the pan to run the oil over the bottom surface.
6. When the oil shimmers, gently transfer the latkes to the oil, leaving space between them. Don’t overcrowd the pan. You want the latkes to have room to crisp up around the edges and to get a nice brown and gold fried crust on both sides.
7. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel or brown paper to drain.
8. Add a bit more oil to the pan and let it warm well before adding the second batch of latkes.
9. When the latkes are all cooked, put the hot pan aside to cool, place the latkes on a platter and set them in a warm oven.
10. To serve, place a small bowl of Greek-style yogurt and another of a spicy green herbal chutney out and let folks top their latkes as they go.

Other toppings: applesauce, goat cheese crumbles, minced black olives, chopped parsley,

sour cream that has been whipped with minced dill.

 

I pulled the recipe from this excellent book on power foods that I told you about earlier this season.