Keftes de Prasa

Sephardi leek patties, boiled and squeezed then fried, eaten at Rosh Hashanah for the pun in their name

Origin: Istanbul & the Sephardi Diaspora

From the journey of Leek.

These are on Sephardi tables at Rosh Hashanah because of a pun, and the pun is nearly two thousand years old. The Talmud records a custom of eating certain foods at the new year for the words they resemble, and leek is one of them: Aramaic karti, leek, sounds close to the root meaning to cut off or destroy, so the leek is eaten with a wish that those who wish the diner harm should be cut off. It is one of the simanim, the symbolic foods, alongside pomegranate, dates, gourd, and beetroot. Ashkenazi tradition largely lost the practice; Sephardi and Mizrahi communities kept it, and in many households the simanim are still eaten one by one with their blessings before the meal. The patties themselves belong to the Ladino-speaking world that formed after 1492, when Jews expelled from Spain were received into the Ottoman Empire and settled in Salonica, Istanbul, Izmir, and across the Balkans. Keftes is the Ladino form of the Turkish köfte, and the recipe is Ottoman in technique and Iberian in ancestry. The method turns on getting the water out. Leeks are boiled until completely soft, drained, cooled, and then squeezed hard, and only then chopped and bound with egg and matzo meal. Skip the squeezing and the mixture will not hold, the patties fall apart in the pan, and they absorb oil instead of frying. They are equally a Passover dish, where matzo meal rather than breadcrumbs is what binds them, and they are eaten warm or cold with a squeeze of lemon.

Ingredients

Leeks

1 kg leeks, trimmed, split, washed, and roughly chopped
1 tbsp salt, for the cooking water

Binding

200 g floury potato, boiled and mashed, optional
3 whole eggs, beaten
80 g matzo meal, or fine dried breadcrumbs
50 g kashkaval or Parmesan, finely grated, optional

Seasoning

1 tsp salt, or to taste
0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
0.25 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Coating

60 g matzo meal, for coating

Frying

150 ml neutral oil, for frying

To Serve

1 whole lemon, cut into wedges

Method

Boil the chopped leeks in well-salted water for 12 to 15 minutes until completely soft.
Drain into a colander and leave until cool enough to handle.
Squeeze the leeks hard, a handful at a time, until no more water comes out, then squeeze again in a clean cloth.
Chop the squeezed leeks finely on a board, or pulse briefly in a processor, so no long strands remain.
Mix with the mashed potato if using, the beaten eggs, the 80 g of matzo meal, the cheese if using, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and parsley.
Leave the mixture to stand for fifteen minutes so the matzo meal absorbs any remaining moisture, then check it holds together when squeezed.
Shape into flattened patties about 6 cm across and coat each lightly in the remaining matzo meal.
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan to a medium heat and fry the patties in batches for three to four minutes a side until deep golden.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges.

Notes

Leave out the cheese for a meat meal, and use oil rather than butter throughout, to keep the dish parve. Matzo meal is what makes them a Passover dish. Fine dried breadcrumbs work identically the rest of the year. They can be shaped several hours ahead and refrigerated, which firms them and makes frying easier. They are good cold and travel well, which is part of why they became a festival food. Keftes de espinaka, the same method with spinach, is the other common member of the family. Both are served at Rosh Hashanah, but only the leek carries the pun.

The Gastrographer

Name: Keftes de Prasa
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Istanbul & the Sephardi Diaspora
Ingredients: 1 kg leeks, trimmed, split, washed, and roughly chopped; 1 tbsp salt, for the cooking water; 200 g floury potato, boiled and mashed, optional; 3 whole eggs, beaten; 80 g matzo meal, or fine dried breadcrumbs; 50 g kashkaval or Parmesan, finely grated, optional; 1 tsp salt, or to taste; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 0.25 tsp freshly grated nutmeg; 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 60 g matzo meal, for coating; 150 ml neutral oil, for frying; 1 whole lemon, cut into wedges

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control