Ok I’ll admit it, I’m tired of potato latkes by the 6th night of Chanukah.  But I wanted to feel a little holiday spirit last night after the kids went to sleep, and as I perused the kitchen at 10pm I found myself face to face with 4 organic butternut squashes that are left over from my CSA farm share.  Now after having made 3 big batches of butternut squash soup already with my farm share bounty, I decided to try something new and exciting. With a little twist on the traditional latke recipe, I came up with something truly delicious enough to eat year round- perfectly golden and crispy with a beautiful orange color and an exceptional flavor.  And maybe the best part is, they are potato (and gluten) free!

Here’s what you will need:

1 small to medium sized organic butternut squash, peeled and de-seeded
1 medium onion, quartered
4 eggs
1 tsp cumin powder
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/4 cup olive oil
lots of freshly grated salt and pepper (to taste)

yield: 32-40 latkes

Using the grating disc of your food processor, grate the butternut squash and place in a mixing bowl.  Look at this beautiful orange color!

Next, process the onion until smooth and add to the grated squash. Now add in the eggs, cumin, curry, salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Once your batter is assembled, coat your frying pan with about 1/4 inch of olive oil, and turn to medium-high heat. When hot, add heaping spoonfuls of your squash batter until the pan is full, pressing down slightly with your spatula to flatten the latkes. Cook until golden brown and crisp (about 3-4 minutes) then flip and brown the undersides. Continue frying your batter until it is all used up, adding in more olive oil as needed. Serve hot topped with sour cream for an unbelievably delicious treat!

Wishing you a healthy and happy Chanukah!