1 Tasty Brunch for All 8 Days of Chanukah
By Danielle Oron
This recipe for a colorful alternative to traditional latkes is from Danielle Oron’s “Modern Israeli Cooking: 100 New Recipes for Traditional Classics,” available from Page Street Publishing.
Zucchini Latkes Eggs Bennie With Dill Labane Sauce
Makes four servings.
By Danielle Oron
Page Street Publishing, 240 pages, $28
Christmukkah brunch 2011: I had four friends peeling and grating potatoes for latkes. Had one grating only onions, poor thing. That is what this dish reminds me of. Good times and friends and latkes. Don’t wait ’til next Chanukah to make these, though! Make it this weekend! Fried things are tasty all year round. Making the latkes with zucchini instead of potatoes gives the dish more freshness and color. The flavor combination of the zucchini latkes, salmon, egg yolk and dill labane sauce works so perfectly together.
Dill Labane Sauce
1 cup labane or Greek yogurt
⅓ cup water
1 teaspoon chopped dill
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Zucchini Latkes Eggs Bennie
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, grated
Canola oil for frying
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg
½ teaspoon chopped dill
¼ teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper
4 ounces smoked nova salmon
4 poached eggs
Chopped chives
4 lemon wedges
To make the dill labane sauce, combine the labane, water, dill, lemon juice and salt. Cover and set in the fridge until ready to serve.
Place the grated zucchini inside of a sheet of cheesecloth and wring out as much water as possible without destroying the zucchini.
Heat a skillet with a quarter-inch of oil over medium-low heat. Just before frying the latkes, combine the drained zucchini, flour, egg, dill, salt and fresh pepper to taste in a bowl and form the mixture into four patties. Fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer the latkes to a paper-towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with some salt.
Plate the latkes on each serving dish. Top with the smoked salmon and poached egg. Garnish with chopped chives and serve with a lemon wedge.
Labane
It’s smooth, creamy, salty and, not to mention, lower in fat than any cream cheese or spreadable cheese you will find. Every time I put it out when we have friends over, someone always asks, “Ooooooh, what is this?” I use it a lot throughout my recipes, so if you can’t seem to find it in the grocery store, this is a really easy way to make it. It should be thick and spreadable.
1 pound plain yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Place a strainer over a large bowl and line it with four layers of cheesecloth. Mix the yogurt and salt together and pour onto the cheesecloth. Allow to drain in the fridge for at least 8 hours or longer.
It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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