Celebrate Hanukkah with Pizzazz
Timing is everything in life. By 165 B.C.E. the Maccabees had been battling for three years both the Syrian-Greeks as well as Hellenized Jews, according to Phyllis Glazer and Miriyam Glazer in “The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking” (HarperCollins). The Maccabees finally liberated the desecrated Temple, and as every Jewish school child knows—or as the Glazer sisters write, ”as one tradition later claimed”—when they attempted to rededicate the Temple, a tiny cruse of oil meant to last a single day miraculously lasted for eight. But did you know that this first Hanukkah was actually a postponed celebration of the eight-day Sukkot holiday which they could not observe in a defiled Temple months before? And, as timing would have it, all this occurred in the month of Kislev, just at the end of the season when olives are pressed into oil? And that an ancient Jewish festival celebrating the end of the olive oil harvest had already been firmly established?
The Maccabees encouraged the celebration of this winter holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple, but “centuries later what actually happened in those days and why later generations should celebrate was no longer very clear,” the Glazers write. By less than 300 years later, the Maccabeen dynasty had become corrupt, and that rededicated Temple was razed by the Romans, throwing the Jewish people into exile. The Talmud rabbis of Babylonia kept the story of the “Miracle of the Oil” alive, and we’ve been celebrating the holiday with a frying frenzy ever since.
“The Maccabees never saw a potato, much less a potato pancake,” writes rabbi and food historian Gil Marks in the “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.” I’ll wager the Maccabees never saw a jelly doughnut either; yet latkes and sufganiyot have become the iconic Hanukkah dishes. Brought by the Spanish from South America to Europe, the potato was considered poisonous and wasn’t considered edible for centuries until the French began cultivating it in response to the famine of the late 1700’s that followed the French Revolution.
“The latke as we know it took quite a culinary journey,” explains Liz Alpern in “The Gefilte Manifesto” (Flatiron Books, $35), co-authored with Jeffrey Yoskowitz, “beginning centuries ago in Italy as a cheese fritter fried in olive oil, then moving northeast, where it morphed into a buckwheat and rye pancake, and then a turnip fritter fried in schmaltz. Finally, in the mid 19th century, the potato took over.”
Today we see all manner of iterations, including the root vegetable variation featured here, adding vibrant color and flavor to the dish. Preparing latkes for Hanukkah really connects Alpern to her Jewish roots. “While the rest of New York is feverishly buying gifts and planning big family meals, I’m quietly grating potatoes by the light of the menorah,” she writes. “All I need to do is fry up some latkes, and I am in the perfect holiday spirit.”
A tasty treat from Susan Feniger’s cookbook “Street: Irresistibly Crispy, Creamy, Crunchy, Spicy, Sticky, Sweet Recipes” (Clarkson Potter, $27.50) will help you celebrate Hanukkah with pizzazz. Feniger, one-half of the Too Hot Tamales of Food Network fame (with Mary Sue Milliken, also her co-partner in the Border Grill restaurants) has gathered the street food she enjoyed from her years of globe-trotting travels—think fast food meets regional home cooking—into this adventurous cookbook.
Reminiscent of the sufganiyot Israelis enjoy for Hanukkah, her Turkish Doughnuts are quickly dipped in Rose Water Syrup and served with sour cream and Rose Hip Jam. “You can substitute any jam and purchased rosewater syrup,” she told me. “It’s the combination of the sour cream and sweetness that makes the dish.”
Feniger grew up in a reform Jewish household in Toledo, Ohio. “We went to temple on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and I attended Saturday school, but I wasn’t brought up religious,” she said. “Our family was certainly very Jewish culturally, and Jewish culture is something I’m very drawn to. It’s about food and family and helping someone else.” The latter is evident in Feniger’s generous work with so many charities, including the Scleroderma Research Foundation. “Giving back was something they taught us. It wasn’t about a lot of money; it was about time and volunteer stuff. It’s a very Jewish thing.”
Threads of Jewish influence run through the cookbook: Romanian eggplant, flanken in her glazed short ribs, matzo candy and the za’atar spice mix she remembers from her high school days on an Israeli kibbutz. Ukrainian Spinach Dumplings were inspired by her grandmother’s varenyky. “I would spend Saturday night at my grandmother’s house and on Sunday watch her prepare them for the canasta ladies,” she recalled.
Turkish Doughnuts with Rose Hip Syrup
Yield: 6 servings
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
Canola oil, for frying
Rose Water Syrup (recipe follows)
1 cup sour cream
Rose Hip Jam, for serving (optional)
1. In small bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk, butter, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil; remove pan from heat, and add flour mixture all at once, stirring rapidly with wooden spoon until well combined and one solid mass. Put pan back on stove over medium heat and stir continuously 4-5 minutes until smooth. (For best texture do not shorten this step.)
3. Transfer dough to stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on low speed 2 minutes to release some steam. With mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, allowing each to be absorbed before adding next. Scrape with rubber spatula; mix dough a few more times. Dough will look glossy.
4. Fill deep, heavy-bottomed pot (5- to 6-inh sides work best) with oil reaching halfway up sides. Heat over medium heat 4-5 minutes until drop of dough floats immediately and deep-frying thermometer reaches 350˚F. Reduce heat slightly.
5. Working in batches, drop small spoonfuls of dough into hot oil, being careful not to splash and burn yourself. Cook about 5 minutes, turning doughnuts and submerging them in oil occasionally to fry evenly. When doughnuts are ready, they will be golden brown, light and airy. If heavy, dough is still raw on inside, so cook a minute or two longer. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
6. Quickly drain in rose water syrup and arrange on platter. Serve with sour cram and rose hip jam.
Rosewater Syrup
Yield: 1 quart
3 lemons
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup rose water
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1. Grate zest of lemons into medium saucepan. Squeeze in lemon juice (discarding seeds) and add empty lemon halves, pith and all. Add sugar, salt and 4 cups water; stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes at a slow boil. Mixture will thicken slightly.
2. Remove pan from heat; add rose water and cardamom. Set aside to cool. Syrup will keep in airtight container in refrigerator for several weeks.
Source: “Street” by Susan Feniger
Root Vegetable Latkes
Drain the shredded vegetables thoroughly. These are lighter and more fragile than the purely potato version, so take care when forming into latkes for frying.
Yield: 18 to 22 latkes
4 russet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled
1 medium parsnip, peeled
1 medium turnip, peeled
1 small onion
4 scallions, finely chopped
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup breadcrumbs or matzo meal
Schmaltz or peanut, canola, or grapeseed oil, for frying
Apple-Pear sauce (recipe below), for serving (optional)
Sour cream
1. Shred potatoes, parsnip, turnip, and onion on large holes of box grater or in food processor using shredder plate. Transfer grated vegetables to large bowl; add cold water to cover. Let sit about 5 minutes.
2. Drape cheesecloth or clean, thin kitchen towel in empty bowl; add shredded vegetables. Wrap cheesecloth or towel around vegetables and squeeze tightly in bowl. Repeat until as much liquid as possible has been removed. White potato starch will collect at bottom of bowl. Carefully drain off water, reserving potato starch. Set aside.
3. Place drained vegetable shreds in large bowl. Add scallions, eggs, salt, pepper, flour, breadcrumbs, and reserved potato starch. Mix well, preferably using your hands.
4. In 9-inch nonstick or cast iron skillet, heat layer of schmaltz or oil, about 1/8 inch deep, over medium heat. Form latke batter into thin patties, using about 2 tablespoons for each. As you form patties, squeeze out and discard any excess liquid. Carefully slip patties, about 4 at a time, into pan and fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Take care to flip them only once to avoid excess oil absorption. If pan begins to smoke, add more schmaltz or oil and heat again before frying another batch.
5. Remove latkes; place on baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain excess fat. Latkes are best and crispiest when served right away. If serving later, transfer to separate baking sheet and place in oven at 200°F to keep warm until serving. Serve hot, topped with Apple-Pear Sauce and/or sour cream.
Apple-Pear Sauce
Applesauce is a great way to utilize bruised or imperfect fruit. The variety of apple doesn’t matter too much; the sweeter the apple, the sweeter the sauce. This recipe also calls for pears, which provide natural sweetness, as well as apple juice or cider, which adds a deeper and sweeter flavor.
Yield: 5 to 6 cups
2 pounds apples (about 6 medium), such as McIntosh, peeled, cored, and quartered
2 pounds sweet pears (about 5 medium), such as Bartlett, peeled, cored, and quartered
1/2 cup apple juice, apple cider, or water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 to 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup or sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine apple and pear quarters, apple juice, and cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 to 40 minutes. The apples will soften and puff up a bit as the heat draws out their liquid. When you can smush the fruit by pressing on it with a spoon, it has finished cooking.
2. Turn off heat and remove cinnamon sticks. Mash mixture with potato masher or improvised masher (an empty jar works well). For a smoother applesauce, purée using immersion blender or food processor.
3. If you’d like your sauce sweeter, stir in maple syrup or sugar (start with 1 tablespoon and add more if needed). Stir in lemon juice, if using, which adds a bit of tartness to balance out the sweetness. Let sauce cool.
4. Serve at room temperature. Sauce will keep in refrigerator about a month. If storing for later use, transfer to airtight container and freeze.
Source: “The Gefilte Manifesto” by Jeffrey Yoskowitz and Liz Alpern
Jlife Food Editor Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” (Workman) and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook” (an e-book short from Workman), a columnist and feature writer for the Orange County Register and other publications and can be found on the web at www.cookingjewish.com.