Celery Root Parsnip Latkes Recipes

CELERY ROOT-PARSNIP LATKES

Steps:

• Place grated celery root, parsnips and onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle in matzo meal and toss mixture together with your hands. Add parsley, eggs, salt and pepper and combine again using your hands until ingredients are incorporated.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Take a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and flatten between your palms. Fry latkes, without moving them, for 4 to 5 minutes, checking that they don't over-brown. (You should be able to fry them in batches of 11 to 12, depending on pan size.) Flip latkes, turn heat down to medium-low and fry another 4 minutes, or until well browned and tender. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with additional salt. Serve warm.

CELERY-ROOT AND POTATO LATKES

Steps:

• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 250°F.
• Coarsely grate celery root into a bowl using the 1/3-inch-wide holes of a box grater.
• Peel potatoes and coarsely grate into a large bowl. Add lemon juice and toss. Coarsely grate onions into same bowl.
• Transfer to towel, then gather up corners to form a sack and twist tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.
• Return potatoes and onions to cleaned bowl and stir in celery root, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, and celery seeds until combined well.
• Heat 1/3 inch oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Fill a 1/4-cup measure (not tightly packed) with latke mixture and carefully spoon it into skillet, then flatten to 3 inches in diameter with a slotted spatula. Form 3 more latkes in skillet, then fry until undersides are deep golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. Turn over using 2 spatulas and fry until deep golden all over, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes more. (If latkes brown too quickly, lower heat to moderate.) Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Keep warm in 1 layer on a metal rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven. Make more latkes in same manner. Use a second rack and baking pan to keep last batches warm.

CELERY ROOT AND PARSNIP PUREE

Steps:

• Peel and chop 1 pound celery root and 1 pound parsnips; cook in salted boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, then puree in a blender with 1 cup milk, 2/3 cup sour cream and 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper.

LATKES

Steps:

• For the potato latkes: Place the grated potatoes in a large bowl or other food-safe container, fill it with water, and then strain. Repeat this rinsing process 2 or 3 times until the water runs clear, then drain the potatoes, squeezing out as much water as possible.
• Combine the rinsed potatoes and grated onion in a large bowl and mix them together with your hands. Add the matzo meal and mix together, then add the chives. Finally, add the eggs and massage them into the potato mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Add the salt and pepper and mix it in with your hands.
• Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches so that the latkes are not crowded in the skillet, take a golf ball-size portion of the potato mixture, flatten it between the palms of your hands, and add it to the skillet. Repeat.
• Cook the latkes until they're crisp and brown around the edges, about 3 minutes; then flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp and deep golden brown all over and still tender inside. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, adding a tablespoon or so of oil between batches.
• For the celery root-parsnip latkes: Follow the instructions for the potato version, substituting the celery root and parsnips for the potatoes (and skipping the rinsing step at the beginning) and substituting the parsley for the chives.
• For the butternut squash latkes: Cut the squash into chunks and pass them through the grating disk of a food processor. Then follow the instructions for the potato version, substituting the squash for the potatoes (and skipping the rinsing step at the beginning) and substituting the sage for the chives, and cooking the latkes slightly longer over slightly lower heat (about 4 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side over medium-low heat).
• You can reheat the latkes in a 450 degree F oven in 3 to 4 minutes.