I’ve been wanting to take some photos of my Out of the Garden Pancakes, so I made them for dinner for meatless Monday this week.  When making them I was reminded of latkes and that Hannukah is coming up so soon this year.  My kids even said “These look like green latkes.”  I think these could be another addition to your Hannukah table and would go nicely with the usual potato latkes if you’re looking for a twist and some color.

Out of the Garden Pancakes

from The Petit Appetit Cookbook: Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler page 115

Children who “don’t eat vegetables” will eat these pancakes.  They are a filling entrée, a   hearty snack or a side dish for grilled meats.

Makes about 10, (4 inch) pancakes

1 cup organic broccoli or broccoli florets

12 organic asparagus spears

1 cup (6 ounces) sliced organic brown mushrooms

¼ cup chopped organic onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

¼ cup expeller pressed canola oil

2/3 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon fresh dill weed

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 large cage free, organic egg

¼ cup organic milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Place broccoli and asparagus in a steamer basket set in a pot filled with about 1 to 2 inches of lightly boiling water.  Do not let water touch vegetables.  Cover and steam vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. 

Put steamed broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, garlic in a food processor and pulse on and off to chop, or chop by hand.  Be careful not to puree.  Transfer chopped ingredients into a large bowl and stir in oil, flour, dill and salt.  Add the egg and milk and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. 

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.  Drop batter by ¼ cups into the skillet and cook until firm on bottom, about 2 minutes.  Turn the pancakes with a spatula and sprinkle cooked side with cheddar cheese, if desired.  Cook other side until golden, about 1minute.

TIP

Adult Treats.  This recipe can become adult hors d’oeuvres by dropping batter by tablespoonful for bite size treats.  Top these pancakes with a spoonful of baby’s left-over apple puree or a dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche.

Our Impromptu "Lights"

So it’s a bit confusing around my house with all the holiday festivities and celebrations.  Anytime you have a 3 and 6 year old there’s bound to be questions and comedy.  There’s been lots of talk and queries about God, Santa, Hannukah, presents, the North Pole, etc.  Everything from “Why don’t all kids get presents since Santa can make as many toys as he wants and gives them for free?”  (good point) to “We’re Jewish right?.  You make latkes and we go to a party and play dreidle”.  (that’s true, but…)

Like many I like to use food as a way of celebrating and teaching different holidays, cultures, and history.  There’s always a story and a food for most of life’s tradition, beliefs and gatherings.  However now my son thinks our family is all religions, cultures and ancestry because I cook it all.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but he (and I) needs some guidance.  I ordered a book (not a cookbook) entitled One World, Many Religions by Mary Osbourne to hopefully give me some more educated answers about religions, faith, and beliefs around the globe.  I need something more than the simple story about the oil lasting for 8 days and now here’s a latke. 

Thankfully other children in my son’s school and circle of friends are noticing different ways family’s celebrate too.  I hear them ask ”Why don’t we have a Menorah/Christmas Tree?”  So we’ve been able to share in some friends’ candle lighting and dreidle games (and note our impromptu “lights” above) and also have ornaments for those to put on our tree that don’t have one at their home. 

Here’s the latke recipe that launched a thousand questions. 

Potato Latkes

(from Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink and Be Merry)

Wanting to reduce the amount of oil and frying in traditional latkes, I developed a version that’s finished in the oven to give extra crispness without extra fat and grease. These are great accompanied by applesauce and sour cream.

 Makes 12 servings

1½ pounds (about 2) organic russet potatoes, scrubbed and shredded (4 cups)

1 medium yellow onion, shredded (½ cup)

2 medium shallots, minced (1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large cage-free organic egg

2 (6-inch-squares) whole wheat matzo, broken into pieces

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Toss potatoes, onion, shallots, and salt together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a sieve set over a large bowl and let drain for about 15 minutes. Squeeze potato mixture by handfuls over a glass bowl to release excess moisture (some moisture should remain) and put potato mixture in a separate bowl. Potato liquid will have a pasty-white sediment (starch) in the bottom of the glass bowl that you can see. Carefully pour off and discard top liquid and add starchy portion to the potato mixture. Stir in egg.

Put matzo pieces into a food processor (or see below) and process to coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs and pepper over potato mixture and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until matzo is softened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with oil.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir the potato mixture. Using a ¼-cup measuring cup, scoop potato mixture and add to pan without crowding. Press with a spatula to flatten to about a 3-inch cake. Cook until crispy and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the latkes to prepared baking sheet. Continue cooking, using additional oil to prevent sticking, if needed. Once all are cooked and on baking sheet, transfer to the oven and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Kid’s Help vs. Processor. Instead of using the processor to make matzo crumbs, put matzo in a plastic bag and have kids roll with a rolling pin to break and crumble. Of course the project takes longer, but is more fun.