Hanukkah Plantain Latkes with Salsa Verde & Pico

These Hanukkah plantain latkes are a delicioso take on the traditional recipe. They’re from the kitchen of one of our favorite homecooks Michelle Ezratty Murphy, who decided to Latino her latkes in honor of her husband’s Puerto Rican heritage. Hanukkah falls on Dec. 7 this year, so Michelle started working on this recipe a couple weeks ago. The Phoenix-based homecook who grew up on the Caribbean island experimented using green plantains instead of the traditional potatoes as the main ingredient.

And?

”They seriously came out sooooo good!” reports Michelle. ”We have been eating them all day. I served them with salsa verde and pico de gallo.” Total success, she says.

Michelle is ready for Hanukkah, Latino-style.

Cooking the Big Hanukkah Feast

Most years, Michelle hosts the big family Hanukkah celebration. ”Hanukkah, to me, is simply remembering that the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was rededicated and the oil in the lamps in the temple burned for eight days when there was only enough oil to last for one day. It is a time for eight days of lighting our menorahs, celebration, songs, family, gift giving, and eating latkes.”

Especially that last one, she admits. Latkes are a big deal in Michelle’s home. ”We love latkes,” she says. ”Latkes are fritters made with grated potatoes, egg and matzoh meal. I only make them once a year, so that it remains a tradition in our family. Latkes are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. They are eaten with sour cream and applesauce, which gives them a sweet and savory taste. Because latkes are eaten quickly, the person making them is usually up and down from the table to the kitchen what feel like a million times, stirring the batter, frying them up, and flipping them. It seems I can never make them fast enough!”

Not that she minds. Her family and friends appreciate the latke labor of love, eating every single one up, she proudly reports.

Which makes it even more surprising that this year, Michelle’s famosos latkes got a rethink. It all started with her wondering how she might bring in their full family heritage into the Hanukkah celebration. What if she used Puerto Rico’s go-to starch, plantains, instead of the expected papas?

”Our usual menu for Hanukkah is brisket and potato latkes served with sour cream and apple sauce. The potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce are actually derived from the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, meaning Jews whose heritage is from Eastern Europe. This Latino version of latkes could have been what the Sephardic Jews would have enjoyed after arriving in this part of the world. I like to think about that,” says Michelle.

Latino Latkes Are Here to Stay

So? Is the plantain version a new family tradition? Michelle nods. They’re delicious, easy, sweet, unexpected, and she confesses she can’t stop thinking about the test batch she made. She’s excited to make them for real on Dec. 18 this year, thrilled to be infusing a little Latino sabor into the Old World Hanukkah menu she grew up with.

The daughter of two Americans, Michelle was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she met and married a Boricua named Pat Murphy. Along the way, she has become the keeper of her husband’s traditional family recipes (including Pat’s Titi Rosa’s Familia Kitchen Recipe Contest Grand prize winning arroz con pollo recipe, which won the couple a prize trip for two to go home to Puerto Rico in 2021). To try more of Michelle and her husband Pat’s family-famous dishes, check out her recipe for sofrito, double-fried-plantain tostones with garlicky mojo sauce; pastelón, the Puerto Rican lasagna; step-by-step guide to baking quesitos, and her Your Family’s Favorite Picadillo contest winning recipe.

Ready to Latino Your Latkes With Plantains?

Hanukkah Plantain Latkes with Salsa Verde & Pico de Gallo

Recipe by Michelle Ezratty Murphy

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 green plantains, peeled and grated

• 1/2 onion, large, grated

• 3 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/4 cup matzo meal or plain bread crumbs

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• Avocado oil for frying

Directions

• In a bowl, combine all ingredients.
• In a skillet on medium heat, pour in about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup avocado oil ( depending on skillet size). When the oil ripples, you know the oil is hot enough.
• Into the skillet, put in a heaping 1 Tbsp of the latkes mixture. Press down firmly on each latke mound.
• Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden.
• Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any extra oil. Serve the latkes while hot, topped with salsa verde and Michelle’s pico de gallo.

Notes

• Be sure to use bright green plantains when making these latkes. If they are tinging toward yellow, they might be too soft when you fry them.