Makes about 20
Serve the latkes hot, warm, or at room temperature, with accompaniments such as pita, sliced tomato and cucumber, lettuce, and tahini spread.
TAHINI SPREAD
| ½ | cup tahini (stir well) |
|---|---|
| Juice of ½ lemon | |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| ½ | cup ice-cold water, or more if needed |
1. In a bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Add about ¼ cup of water and whisk well. The mixture will become thick and hard to stir.
2. Add a few more tablespoons of water and keep whisking until the mixture turns smooth and ivory colored. The consistency should be like a pourable dressing. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if you like.
LATKES
| 1 | bunch fresh parsley, thick stem ends discarded |
|---|---|
| 1 | bunch fresh cilantro, thick stem ends discarded |
| ½ | bunch fresh mint leaves |
| 3 | scallions (white and green parts), chopped |
| 1 | large onion, coarsely chopped |
| 4 | eggs |
| 10 | ounces ground beef (or a mixture of lamb and beef) |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 2 | to 6 tablespoons matzo meal or breadcrumbs |
| 2 | tablespoons pine nuts (optional) |
| Vegetable oil (for shallow frying) |
1. Have ready a platter lined with paper towels.
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2. In a food processor, place ½ of the parsley, cilantro, mint, scallions, and onion. Pulse a few times to chop. Add 2 eggs and work the mixture until it is coarsely pureed. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining parsley, cilantro, mint, scallions, onion, and eggs. Transfer to the bowl.
3. Add the ground meat, a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons of matzo meal or breadcrumbs, and pine nuts. Using a spatula or your hands, mix thoroughly, making sure there are no clumps of meat remaining. If the mixture seems too loose or moist to form patties, add 1 to 4 more tablespoons of matzo meal or breadcrumbs. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, pour in about 2 tablespoons of oil, or enough to make a shallow film in the pan. Working in batches, form patties of the herb mixture about 3 inches in diameter and ½-inch thick and place them in the pan. (They shouldn’t touch or be too close.) Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown on the undersides. Turn and cook 3 to 5 minutes longer or until golden brown on the undersides and mostly firm to the touch. Transfer to the platter and continue frying latkes, adding more oil to the pan, or until the batter is used. Adapted from “Jewish Soul Food”
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