Beet Latkes
We fill the Chanukah table with oil-fried food to celebrate the miracle of the tiny can of pure oil, found in the temple in Jerusalem after the Jews reclaimed it from the Greek occupation. It contained barely enough oil to light the temple lamps for one day, but miraculously provided eight days of light.
Potatoes latkes may be Chanukah's classics, but for the rest of the holiday nights we bring other vegetables-based latkes to the table, that we bake instead of fry. We like to use beets or carrots because oven-roasting enhances their sweetness. Our recipe is gluten free and eggless, it's simple, and can be easily prepared in advance. It's a great finger food that could be enjoyed also outside of the context of Chanukah. Serve it with a dollop of tahini sauce or Labneh cheese and top off with sweettahini's dukkah blend.
Makes 12-16 latkes
Ingredients
2 medium size beets (about 450 gr total ), grated. Use carrot instead, if desired.
1 small onion, grated.
3 Tablespoons tahini paste
1/2 cup chickpea or lentil flour (or any other gluten free or grain flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Oil - for greasing
For serving - tahini sauce or labneh yogurt and sweettahini's savory dukkah.
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Grease (or oil-spray) a pargament-lined baking sheet.
Grab a portion of the mixture with you hands, shape into a ball, squeeze to get rid of excess liquid (if any). Then press tight to form a 1/4-inch thin patty, and place on the greased parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of mixture.
Bake in a pre-heated oven to 360 degrees F. for about 20 minutes. then flip the latkes and bake for addition 10 minutes.
Serve with tahini sauce or labneh cheese, and dukkah .