Keftes de Prasa

I don’t like to play favorites. I don’t need to play favorites!

But…keftes de prasa > latkes.

Yeah. YOU HEARD ME.

Admittedly, at the time of my writing this, it’s also mid-August. So I’m not exactly in the mood for latkes.

When December rolls around, my answer is subject to change.

Anyway, because it’s not December, let’s talk about keftes de prasa. These crispy little flaky-salt-flecked bites of pure DELICIOUSNESS are a traditional Sephardic dish for Rosh Hashanah and beyond. They do, in fact, bear a striking resemblance to latkes.

Also like latkes, they’re impossibly simple, composed of little more than leeks and eggs.

Also also like latkes, they’re fried.

Some recipes call for boiling the leeks to soften them before all the frying action happens; others suggest sautéing them. After some trial and error, I found that the latter yields a deeper flavor, so that’s what I’ll be showing you how to do today.

But first: You’re probably wondering how these delicious-beyond-words leek fritters ended up making their way into my otherwise-mostly-Ashkenazi Rosh Hashanah spread.

I’ll explain via some fun family history. My grandfather, though Ashkenazi himself, was always insistent on us doing things the Sephardic way. (Among other things, this fortunate fact explains why we don’t consider Rice Krispies to be chametz. Thank goodness for that.)

The whole “following Sephardic rules while Ashkenazi” thing is probably confusing to some of you out there at best—and totally irreverent / unheard of at worst. It’s a little odd, I know. But bear with me, because it does make some sense: My grandparents spent their twenties founding one of the first kibbutzim in Israel, where they happened to meet, live with, and learn from many Sephardim. Years later, my Zeyde continued to reminisce on his time in Israel and yearn to be back there. He believed that by asking us to do (some, not all) things the Sephardic way, and by sharing Sephardic traditions and recipes with us, he was connecting our family more closely to Israel and maintaining the personal ties he had made with the country.

And that’s how my siblings and I came to be brought up with so many of these different Jewish traditions. I’ve really never thought of them as being at odds with one another, though, or in any way incongruous. Like so much of Judaism, they come together in this perfect, miraculous, harmonious blend. They just fit.

This year in particular, though, there’s actually another reason I was so excited to grab a few leeks at the grocery store and fry them up. My sister-in-law is also Sephardic—she and her family are from Istanbul—and I spent most of 2020 living with her and her parents (as many of you saw on Instagram with our Turkish-style Passover Seder!). So I, like my grandparents before me, spent quite some time trying new, delicious Sephardic foods. And like my grandparents, I, too, fell very much in love.

Three last things to keep in mind with this recipe:

One, the flaky salt is not to be missed. Seriously. Don’t forget it. Oh WOW even thinking about it now makes me want to whip up another batch of these guys. 😍

Two, the allspice is also not to be missed. It adds something interesting and different. I can’t really describe it. (But that’s exactly why you can’t miss it.)

Three, yes, you do have to wash the leeks that many times. They may look clean, but they tend to have dirt between the layers.

Let’s make ’em:

Keftes de Prasa

Makes ~20-30 patties. Adapted from Serious Eats.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon allspice or nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
• Flaky salt (optional, but soooo good)
• Greek yogurt, edible flowers, and/or chives, to garnish as pictured here (more traditional accompaniments include yogurt, tahini, and lemon wedges)

What You’ll Do:

1. Halve the leeks, slice them thinly, and wash them in 2-3 changes of water.
2. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped leeks and sauté for 7 minutes, or until wilted.
3. Move the sautéed leeks to a large bowl. Add the salt, eggs, breadcrumbs, spices, and chili flakes. Mix thoroughly. The batter will be pretty wet; if it seems too wet or too dry, you can add more breadcrumbs or another beaten egg.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Wet your hands to avoid sticking to the leek mixture, then form .5″ inch thick patties, laying about 5 or 6 in the pan at one time. Fry for 3 minutes per side or until they’re a dark golden brown. Use a spatula to remove them one by one onto a paper towel-lined plate. Continue forming and frying until all the patties are ready.
5. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of flaky salt (don’t skip it!) and a dollop or side of Greek yogurt. I chose to decorate mine with edible flowers and chives, but tahini or lemon wedges are traditional. The patties can be kept refrigerated for several days or frozen for up to three months.