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Leek keftes
Keftes de prasa (קציצות כרישה): Sephardic leek and potato patties for Rosh Hashanah
For Rosh Hashanah, Sephardic Jews from Turkey and the Balkans eat leeks as one of the symbolic foods of the new year, and in Bat Yam and Jaffa the favourite way is keftes de prasa: tender patties of leek and mashed potato bound with egg and fried golden. They also come back for Hanukkah and Passover (made with matzo meal). Crisp outside, soft and sweet with leek inside, they are served with a squeeze of lemon and a cucumber salad. The mistake is leaving the cooked leeks wet, which makes the patties fall apart in the oil. Chef's tip: squeeze the boiled leeks in a tea towel until no more water drips; the drier they are, the crispier the keftes.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb leekstrimmed, white and pale green parts, sliced
- 10 ½ oz floury potatopeeled and cut in chunks
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ cup sunflower oilfor shallow frying
- 6 lemon wedgesto serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Wash the sliced 2 ¼ lb leeks well. Boil them with 10 ½ oz floury potato in salted water for 15–18 minutes, until both are very soft.
18 minStep 2: Drain, cool for 10 minutes, then squeeze the leeks and potato very dry in a clean tea towel.
10 minStep 3: Mash in a bowl with 2 eggs, 2 ⅛ oz dried breadcrumbs or matzo meal, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper into a mixture you can shape; add a spoon more crumbs if it is sloppy.
Step 4: Shape into 18 small patties about 1.5 cm thick.
5 minStep 5: Heat ¾ cup sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the patties in batches for 3 minutes a side, until deep golden and crisp.
12 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm with 6 lemon wedges.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does leek keftes take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of leeks?
- 1 onion per leek.
- What can I use instead of floury potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
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