Saturday 24 January 2015

Zucchini and Potato Latkes


The garden may not have my undivided attention, but it is still productive. Once again there seems to be an abundance of zucchinis all at once, which requires a little creativity in using them all up. I have a few ideas up my sleeve, which if successful I will of course post. I can't promise I will resume blogging with the same number of posts as I did once upon a time, but I will try and make the effort at least once a week. This may or may not mean I will have to resort to what the greyhounds ate for dinner but hopefully it will be entertaining if not informative LOL.

We have at present five dogs in the house four of which are ours and one foster kid. Sometimes there are six, which I think makes me a borderline dog collector but after having a second foster fail last year Mr Sprout has made it clear if any more become permanent residents quite possibly he won't be a permanent resident...oopsie. Mind you this is the same man that will complain about all the dogs in the house one moment and be caught snuggling up and kissing one five minutes later. So I had better be a bit more creative in the kitchen to make up for spending a bit too much time on the dogs. 

Today's effort is latkes. A few potatoes as well as tomatoes from the garden made this an easy summer appetiser to put together. And since the Beloved likes fried anything and it will probably wash down very nicely with a beer or two this will hopefully gain me back some wifely points. 

Makes approx 18 small latkes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup grated potato (the starchier the better, so choose a roasting potato)
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chopped spring onion
ground black pepper to taste
oil for frying

ACCOMPANIMENTS
fresh tomatoes
bunch of dill 
lemon juice
capers
mayonnaise or sour cream (vegan or regular)

METHOD
1. Drain grated potato and zucchini for about half an hour, pressing out excess fluid.
2. In a large bowl combine flour and water and whisk into a smooth batter.
3. Chop spring onions, and add to batter
4.Add zucchini and potato to batter mixture and pepper to taste. Combine thoroughly with a spoon.
5. Heat oil in large frying pan and drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil, flipping over when golden brown and crisp.
6. When cooked on both sides drain on paper towel.
7. Chop tomatoes ( I used a mixture of varieties which ended up about two cups) and toss with a tablespoon of lemon juice and a bunch of chopped dill.
8. Serve the latkes with the tomato mixture and your choice of mayonnaise, sour cream, and capers.