ZUCCHINI LATKES (WITH CAYENNE PAPRIKA TOPPING)

Have you ever had latkes before?

Traditionally they're made with potatoes, but after getting the most gigantic zucchini ever the other week, I knew it was time to try them with zucchini!

Well, to be fair I've never tried to make latkes at all. I leave that up to my mom. She makes them like a champ ONCE a year. Yeah. ONCE. The whole house smells like heaven and all of us eat until we're sick.

So, I bring you:

What you'll need to make it happen (makes 6 latkes):

2 cups zucchini, thickly grated

1/2 small onion, thickly grated

1 egg

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 teaspoon sea salt (more to taste if needed)

1/4 cup flour

vegetable oil for frying

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Topping:

1/3 cup light sour cream

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

(all mixed together and chilled)

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Mix your salt with your zucchini in a bowl and let sit for a few minutes. 

Step 2: Squeeze as much water as humanly possible from your zucchini using a paper towel. Zucchini has a pretty high water content, and clearly it they haven't been squeeze out they'll make the latkes soggy!

Step 3: Mix your zucchini with the grated onion, black pepper, egg and flour. Your batter should kind of resemble a pancake batter with grated zucchini.

Step 4: Heat your oil in a skillet (or wok, whatever you have) on medium heat, and once it's hot drop 1/4 cup batter into the center of the pan, pressing it all out to be thin in the pan. 

Step 5: After a minute or so, when the first side is getting brown, flip it over and cook the next side out. 

Step 6: Take out of oil and onto paper towel to get out excess oil. Top with sour cream mixture and enjoy!

The edges will be crispy crunchy with the center being nice and soft. The cool sour cream with a little bit of a kick goes perfectly with the hot latke!

I know fried things aren't healthy (which is why my mom makes them ONCE a year), but damn they're good. 

Which of your mom's recipes do you try to recreate?

These definitely weren't as good as hers, but I'm trying!

xo, lp