My obsession with zucchini knows NO bounds. I make the Zucchini Spaghetti almost weekly. And for lunch, when I am in a rush (which I always am) I just julienne some Zucchini, quickly sauté it and top it with a little marinara and grated Parm. It’s not unheard of that both my lunch and dinner, on any given day, feature this member of the squash family that looks like a cucumber’s cousin.
The infatuation all started with my commitment to eat right (zucchini is a “free” veg on most healthy eating plans) and my handheld julienne peeler. I cried when we had to part ways for 6 weeks when I moved to Israel, Hubby put it on the lift, I wanted to bring it in my makeup case.
My undying love for my julienne peeler notwithstanding, I do think my Zucchini Latkes call for the consistency of shredded zucchini (either on the side of your box grater or in your food processor). These lovely latkes have no potatoes but they do have a little matzah meal to help hold them together. Perfect with the usual suspects like applesauce and/or sour cream, but you can also dress ’em up with a quick & easy Tzatiki – a Greek yogurt-based sauce. Make your own semi-homemade Greek yogurt (check out this recipe with step-by-step photos) or buy.
On Chanukah I like to fry fresh daily. But you can always prep ahead and rewarm in a single layer on a baking pan in the oven (don’t overcrowd your pan when frying or your latkes will be soggy and don’t stack ‘em when re warming or your latkes will be soggy — and if you couldn’t tell the goal here is crispy not soggy latkes, got it?). After an especially long session at my 4 frying pans (yes I have them all going at once) Hubby said I smelled like I just got off a double shift at Burger King, only thing missing was a hairnet. We both laughed. I am still laughing. How would a hairnet look over my snood?
Zucchini Latkes with Tzatziki Sauce
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini about 1-pound, shredded
- 1 small onion shredded
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup matzo meal
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil for frying
Tzatziki
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1/4 cup diced cucumber
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine zucchini, onions, eggs, matzo meal and salt and stir to combine.
- Heat ¼-inch oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Drop by 2 tablespoons full and lightly press down to flatten. Fry for about 4 to 6 minutes per side or until nicely browned. Remove and drain on paper towels. Continue with remaining batter.
- In a small bowl, combine yogurt, dill, cucumber, lemon juice and salt and stir. Serve Tzatziki alongside Latkes.
Yes, they can be baked at around 400F, coat the pan with a bit of oil, ideally make it hot and then add the pancakes.
Can they be baked and not fried
if they burned before cooking through then yes the oil was too hot. so really you just need about a 1/4 inch of oil – if you see the latkes starting to brown too quickly then lower your heat. In addition to lowering the temp of your oil you can also make the latkes bigger say like 3TBS or even a 1/4 cup (thinner latkes burn faster and the oil temp and fry time needs to be more exact).
Hey Frippie – for a nice light dinner I would serve my favorite soup as a starter (something like a creamy carrot or sweet potato or butternut squash) and a cherry tomato salad along with the latkes.
made these tonight. went with the advice to use panko instead of matzo meal. didn’t work out so well. first batch didn’t stay together in the pan, so I added an egg & the rest were better. but they mostly got burned around the edges before they got cooked all the way through. was my oil too hot, or not hot enough? or did I use too much oil? what happened here? the bit that wasn’t burned had a really nice flavor. would love to try this again sometime if I have a better way to do it. thank you!
any suggestions what to serve with to make a full meal? thanks!
I hear that! I loathe frying when my kids are all walking around the kitchen — it’s so dangerous. Spray the tops with some cooking spray before baking to give a little added crunch and then flip halfway through and spray again before finishing.
how long should they bake and at what temperature? thanks!
350 degrees F for 10-15 mins total, flip halfway through, and keep an eye on them/test one to ensure doneness.
This recipe looks great! I was wondering if you have any tips for baking these instead of frying. With a 15 month old hanging on me, it would be much easier and safer to bake them.
I made these again and had to comment that I used Panko this time because I had no matzo meal and they were fantastic. Also I prefer my tzatziki with the cucumber a little finer so I chop in a food processor and make sure to deseed or it is too watery.
Update!! Normans Dairy Delight Cholov Yisroel Greek Yogurt is WINNER in Kosherfest 2012 New Products Competition – look for it on shelves soon!
Try Jeff Nathan’s Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs http://www.joyofkosher.com/2012/06/regular-and-gluten-free-panko-a-pantry-staple/
Is there a substitute for matzo meal to make these gluten free?
I made them for our early Chanukah party and used Whole Wheat Matzo Meal – they were the biggest hit.
Hi CharlieD see above
Hi Carole – I love Zucchini latkes too!
right no potatoes – but you could prob use even a little less matzo meal all you need is to make sure the latke holds together an is not too watery.
really, truly I promise we are working on this functionality. I actually have to trim more than a few – like 20lbs – so nutritional info would help me too. Soon I hope, G-d Willing
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN WITH STEP BY STEP PHOTOS: http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipe/homemade-fat-free-greek-style-yogurt-with-photos/
Norman’s Dairy will be releasing a Cholov Yisroel Greek Style Yogurt end of 2012/early 2013
Here’s the scoop:
Greek style yogurt is thicker, creamier and richer than your average yogurt. This consistency is achieved by straining the yogurt in a cloth or paper bag or filter to remove the whey, giving a consistency between that of yogurt and cheese, while preserving yogurt’s distinctive sour taste. Due to the straining process to remove excess whey, even non-fat varieties are rich and creamy.
Recently it has become SO popular because it is richer in texture than unstrained yogurt, but low in fat; since straining removes water and dissolved salts and sugars, by volume, it has twice the protein of regular yogurt and less sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar.
If you can’t find (cholov Yisroel) Greek yogurt you can make your own by straining yogurt overnight in your fridge. Line a mesh strainer with muslin or cheesecloth and place the yogurt inside and place the strainer in a bowl with enough room so the excess liquid can drip down and collect at the bottom of the bowl. This will leave you with Greek style yogurt that is rich and creamy. (YUMMMM!!!!)
I’ve been making these latkes for Pesach for years. A family favourite!
oops except for the matzoh meal!!
There are no potatoes in this recipe? I have made zucchini latkes before but there was potato in them. Sounds low carb and I like that!!
Exactly, cholov yisroel, is the big question.
Is there cholov yisroel greek yougurt? what would I substitute?
These latkes are wonderful, i also
add a small dash of Badia complete
seasoning to them to give it a wow.
Jamie it would be so wonderful if you could provide nutritional information for your recipes! Any chance of that happening for thoseof us who are looking to trim a few pounds or just generally want to keep track of what we eat??