Hanukkah Weekend Main Dish Recipe: Latkes Straight from Hopatcong

Hanukkah continues its eight-day stretch this weekend and comes to an end on Thursday. In the meantime, one delicious way for celebrants to include a little Festival of Lights into breakfast or lunch Saturday or Sunday is with crisp, yummy potato pancakes, or as they are called in Yiddish, latkes. As you'll see, latkes don't always involve potatoes; some can serve even as main dishes. And no, you don't have to be Jewish to try and fall in love with these delicacies. 

The Cottage Cheese Latkes recipe that follows comes from Hopatcong's Ruth Schepartz, who shared it with Patch two years ago after she prepared a batch at Hanukkah time for local children. 

Yes, we've tried it, and yes, it's miraculous.

If you'd like to share a holiday recipe with Patch, send it to us at natalie.davis@patch.com, or start your own Hopatcong or Sparta-themed Patch food blog!

COTTAGE CHEESE LATKES


Ingredients
 

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese 
2 eggs 
1/2 cup milk 
1 tsp. vanilla 
1 1/2 cups flour 
3 tsps. baking powder 
3/4 tsp. salt 
Oil for frying

Instructions

1. With fork, blend cottage cheese and eggs in a bowl until thoroughly incorporated. 
2. Beat in milk and vanilla. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Then gradually stir the flour mixture into the bowl containing the combined eggs and cheese. 
4. Pour a 1/2 inch of oil into a frying pan or skillet. Preheat the oil over medium-high heat. 
5. Once the heat is high enough, carefully one tablespoon at a time of the batter into the hot oil. Fry quickly on both sides until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Makes 1 1/2 dozen. Serve quickly while hot.

Notes: 

• If you need to avoid wheat, gluten-free flour makes an acceptable substitute.
• Cottage Cheese Latkes go well with apple sauce, fruit butters or fruit chunks.
• If you would prefer something sweet, feel free to add a little sugar, Splenda, Stevia or apple sauce to the batter, and top with cinnamon. If savory tastes make you happy, add a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder to the mix.
• If you are concerned about fats, consider using a light canola or safflower frying oil.