Cauliflower Kokletin (patties)

My mom used to make almost anything that was ground up into a fried delicious patty, which she called kokletin (yiddish).

The three types she would make most ofter were with ground beef: canned salmon: and cooked cauliflower, way before cauliflower was trendy!!!

They were always served with mashed potatoes and a variety of canned vegetables whatever was in the cupboard ...no pantry in our house!

The only difference in the recipe between them was that for the salmon and the cauliflower mom would add minced dill and the ground beef she would add some garlic powder, (I doubt that mom ever minced a piece of garlic until her daughters showed her how). My DIL really liked the cauliflower ones my mom made and just today mom's aesthetician Anita told me she loved them! When my mom started to need caregivers, one of the first foods she taught them to make were kakleten!

I am making the cauliflower kokletin as a side for fish tonight, though it would be our entire meal when I was growing up!

Here is the 'recipe'

1 head of cauliflower or a small bag of frozen cauliflower florets

1 small onion, diced into small pieces (approx 1/2 cup)

1 egg, well beaten

2 tsp minced dill

1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs ( I use matzo meal) ***RESERVE 1/2 CUP FOR COATING THE PATTIES BEFORE FRYING

1/2 tsp salt ( or to taste)

1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)

oil for frying

1. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces if using fresh, put into a saucepan with water to cover and boil until soft

2.Mash the cooked cauliflower with a potato masher until smooth and there are no large chunks of cauliflower left

3. Mic in the diced onion, egg, dill and bread crumbs

4. Put 1/2 cup of dry bread crumbs onto a plate to use for coating the patties before frying them

5. Heat some oil, approx 2 tbsp to start in a frying pan until hot

6. Taking a 1/4 cup measure, measure the cauliflower mixture and form into an oval shaped patty. Coat with the bread crumbs on both sides and the edges.** Use a gentle hand as the mixture is soft. ** the size of the patties really depends on your personal preference If using as the main part of a meal I would make them bigger

7. Once the cauliflower is throughly coated with the crumbs, take the back of a knife and score them a couple times on each side ( not too sure why but my mom always did this! so I do too!)

8. Fry in the hot oil letting the first side get brown before turning over. Once both sides are brown I put the patties on their side and brown the edges. (they have to lean against one another otherwise they don't stay on their side ) Add more oil as needed .

9. Once browned all over, put onto paper towel to drain off excess oil