Meatless Monday – Aruk (veggie patties)

I asked my husband if he would teach me how to make these tasty little morsels for Meatless Monday, and he happily obliged. Both of our parents don’t use recipes, so I am always excited to put another family heirloom down on paper, so to speak. This one comes from my father in law, and is of Iraqi origin. These patties have wonderful flavor thanks to the array of vegetables contained within, and a delightful crunch from being fried. They can be a great alternative to the traditional latke for Hanukkah. You can eat these on their own, wrapped up in the flatbread or pita of your choice, or with a side salad. Traditionally my father in law serves them on a homemade roll with a chunky tomato type sauce called Matbucha salad. (I will have to post that at a later date – it’s fantastic!) Be sure to thoroughly squeeze out as much liquid from the vegetables as possible, before adding the egg mixture and crumbs. Also, be generous with the oil when frying, you don’t want these babies to stick.

Ingredients

1 cup (packed) grated celery (roughly 5 stalks)
1 cup (packed) grated onion (roughly 1 large onion)
13⁄4 cup (packed) grated zucchini (roughly 1 large zucchini)
3 cups (packed) grated potatoes (roughly 2 large potatoes)
2 cups (packed) grated carrots (roughly 3 large carrots)
31⁄2 cups (packed) grated sweet potatoes (roughly 3 medium sweet potatoes)
2 eggs
1⁄2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Himalayan pink salt (or salt to taste)
10 oz package of bread crumbs
Oil of your choice for frying

Instructions

1. Grate celery, onion, zucchini, potatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes – squeeze and drain each vegetable using a colander thoroughly after grating.
2. Place all well drained vegetables into a large bowl.
3. Beat eggs, pepper and salt in a small bowl.
4. Add egg mixture to grated vegetables.
5. Stir in bread crumbs and mix together with your hands until combined.
6. Cover with plastic wrap (wrap should touch mixture) and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.
7. Form vegetable mixture into 3 inch (roughly) patties.
8. In a large skillet over medium/high heat add oil.
9. Add patties a few at a time to hot oil, being careful not to crowd.
10. Fry for roughly 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on both sides. You may need to turn them over a couple of times to reach desired color.
11. Remove from hot oil and place on a plate covered with paper towel.
12. Continue process until all patties are done.
13. Serve immediately.
14. Enjoy!

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