Fritas de prasa — Palestine

Fritas de prasa, also called keftes de prasa or albondigas de prasa, are pan-fried patties made from leek and potato, bound with egg. The name, from Ladino, translates roughly as leek patties, and the dish belongs to the wider family of fried vegetable keftes found across Sephardic Jewish cooking. The patties are reported among Sephardic Jewish communities and are associated with holiday tables, appearing at Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah and Passover meals. Accounts trace their spread to the period following the expulsion of Jews from Spain, when Sephardic families carried recipes like this one across the Mediterranean and beyond. To make them, leeks are boiled or steamed until soft, then chopped and mashed together with cooked potato, egg, and a starch such as matzo meal or breadcrumbs to bind the mixture. Small patties are shaped by hand, sometimes dipped again in breadcrumbs, and shallow-fried in oil until golden and firm on both sides. Recipes differ mainly in binder and seasoning: some cooks use matzo meal year-round for a firmer patty, keeping it especially for Passover when leavened flour is set aside, while others use regular breadcrumbs or flour outside that holiday. Grated cheese, chopped herbs or a touch of nutmeg appear in some households, while others keep the mixture plain to let the leek carry the dish.