Last Updated on November 15, 2021
Hanukkah cheese latkes – all the rage this year.
Call them whatever you wish; latkes, levivot, fritters, crumpets or pancakes, Hanukkah is the time to experiment with some unusual food combinations in pursuit of the tastiest and most unique latke.
Hanukkah 2021 will be especially festive – remember last year we celebrated under tight coronavirus restrictions.
Our family’s favorite latkes are traditional potato latkes (potatoes, carrots and onions) as well as sweet potato latkes, spicy pumpkin fritters, sweetcorn fritters and onion fritters.
When my grandmother was alive, she made cheese latkes (with her own home-made cheese) and after seeing a host of recipes online, I have decided to serve them this year too.
This recipe uses a firm white cheese like the local Israeli Canaan Cheese. You could substitute with ricotta cheese as well.
I am not sure who this recipe belongs to as it was one of many I saw on the internet. So any credit due, goes to all the chefs that share their recipes online.
Ingredients
- 1kg of white cheese (Canaan)
- 3 XL eggs beaten
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 5 tbsp of self raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- Butter for frying
Directions
- In a large bowl mix all the ingredients well. Refrigerate the mixture for an hour or so, so that it all firms up.
- Dust your hands with flour, flatten golf-ball sized rounds of mixture, shape into latkes and fry for 3 – 4 minutes until the latke is golden brown on both sides. It will resemble a crumpet or pancake when done.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve with with a berry jam of your choice. Of course, they can be eaten on their own.
Chef’s tips
- Prepare the ‘golf-balls’ in advance and then when you are ready to fry them, flatten them in your floured palms. If you try to shape, flatten and fry all at the same time, you will land up with a huge mess.
- This recipe calls for 1kg of cheese which is a large amount and will yield about 50-60 latkes.
Enjoy and happy Hanukkah
