We’ve got the recipes from our Latkepalooza Slow Food East End Live. Chef Noah Schwartz and his mom Pennie, our own chair of the SFEE board, demonstrated how to cook the latkes and how to break down the argument of the choice between baked or fried.
Noah’s Local Cheese Pumpkin Latke Recipe
- 2 lb. local cheese pumpkin (or other hard winter squash like butternut)
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 egg
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions (greens or tops)
- 1 Tbl. Garam Masala
- Chives for garnish
- Canola oil for frying
- Salt and pepper
Peel, seed and scrape pumpkin. Grate pumpkin and onions on largest side of a box grater. Ring out all excess liquid through a towel, squeezing hard. Mix in eggs, flour and scallions. Fold in with your hands to incorporate ingredients. Form lose ¼-cup cakes and pan fry for approximately two minutes on each side until golden brown. Garnish with thinly sliced chives. Serve warm with applesauce and sour cream.
Noah’s Potato Latke Recipe
- 3 large white potatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup thinly sliced chili peppers (optional)
- Chives for garnish
- Canola oil for frying
- Salt and pepper
Peel potatoes and cover with cold water. Boil for ten minutes or until just tender with a fork but not soft. Let chill in refrigerator until fully cooled. Grate potatoes and onions on largest side of a box grater. Ring out all excess liquid through a towel, squeezing hard. Mix in eggs flour and chili’s if using. Fold in with your hands to incorporate ingredients. Form lose ¼ cup cakes and pan fry for approximately 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Garnish with thinly sliced chives. Serve warm with apple sauce and sour cream.
Noah’s Local Sweet Potato Latke Recipe
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 egg
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions (bottoms)
- Chives for garnish
- Canola oil for frying
- Salt and pepper
Grate potatoes and onions on largest side of a box grater. Ring out all excess liquid through a towel, squeezing hard. Mix in eggs, flour and scallions. Fold in with your hands to incorporate ingredients. Form lose ¼ cup cakes and pan fry for approximately 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Garnish with thinly sliced chives. Serve warm with applesauce and sour cream.
Vegan Sour Cream
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours if you do not have a high-powered blender
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more if needed • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- If you soaked your cashews, drain and rinse them until the water runs clear.
- In a blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and mustard. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. If you’re having trouble blending the mixture, or would prefer a thinner consistency, slowly blend in up to ½-cup additional water, as needed.
- Taste and add an additional teaspoon of lemon juice if you would like more tang, or add more salt for a more intense flavor. Serve immediately or chill the sour cream for later.
- Leftovers keep well, chilled, for about 5 days. The sour cream will thicken the more it rests, thin by whisking in a small amount of water.