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By: Chabad.org
A typical Chanukah menu sounds as though it were planned by the under-12 crowd: potato pancakes, fried, of course, in lots of oil; sweet cream-cheese rugelach; strawberry jam–filled doughnuts (sufganiyot) covered in powdered sugar; fried apple fritters; cheese-filled doughnuts fried in oil and dipped in honey; cheese blintzes; etc.
Is it all just a ploy to keep kids lingering around the candles and enjoying a family meal? Not at all!
Chanukah food traditions have their origins in the first years that the holiday was celebrated and are meant to remind us of certain miracles associated with the events of Chanukah itself. And, of course, remembering the miracles and the freedom that we’re all celebrating adds a special flavor to everything we serve . . .
Traditional Chanukah Potato Latkes
By: Miriam Szokovski
Meat/Dairy Pareve
Time 30-60 Minutes
Difficulty Intermediate
Health & Allergies Vegetarian, Dairy-Free
I recently realized that while I’ve shared my recipes for corn latkes, butternut squash sweet potato latkes, vegetable latkes and beet latkes stuffed with goat cheese, I’ve never shared my traditional potato recipe.
You’ll need onion, oil, salt, potatoes, eggs, flour and oil. While the recipe works with any type of potato, using Yukon Gold will be much more aesthetically pleasing because they discolor much more slowly than other potatoes and will keep your mixture looking bright and fresh for longer. They also have a buttery taste which will take your latkes to the next level.
Most latke recipes call for raw onion, but I like to fry them off first to give the latkes more flavor. Dice the onion and sauté it in 2 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt until golden.
Peel and grate the potatoes (by hand or with a food processor) and immediately put the potato shreds into a bowl of cold water. Continue shredding until all the potatoes are grated.
Place the eggs, flour, fried onion and 2 tsp. salt in a separate bowl. Drain the grated potato well, add it to the rest of the ingredients and mix immediately.
Heat 2-4 tbsp. of oil in a frying pan, over medium heat. Test the oil by dropping a tiny bit of the mixture into the pan. When the oil sizzles upon contact, it is ready.
TIP: Add a small piece of carrot to the oil you’re frying in. When the carrot starts to looks shriveled and brown, replace it with a fresh piece. The carrot helps absorb the burnt taste from the oil, and you can keep frying for longer without changing the oil.
For uniform latkes, use a 1/4 or 1/8 cup measuring cup. Scoop the batter and gently drop it into the oil. Press down gently with the back of the measuring cup to flatten. Fry 2-3 minutes until golden, then flip the latkes and fry 1-2 minutes on the second side. Repeat until all the mixture has been fried. (You will need to add more oil to the pan every couple of batches.)
Latkes taste best fresh, but if you need to make them in advance, I recommend reheating them in a frying pan with a tiny bit of oil to help them crisp up again.
Looking for a gluten free potato latke recipe? Try this one.
Ingredients:
- ½ an onion
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 3 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 1.5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup flour
- Oil for frying
Directions:
Dice the onion and sauté it in 2 tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt until golden.
Grate the potatoes (by hand or in a food processor). Immediately transfer the grated potato to a bowl of cold water.
Place the eggs, flour, fried onion and 2 tsp. salt in a separate bowl. Drain the grated potato well, add it to the rest of the ingredients and mix immediately.
Heat 2-4 tbsp. of oil in a frying pan, over medium heat. Test the oil by dropping a tiny bit of the mixture into the pan. When the oil sizzles upon contact, it is ready.
For uniform latkes, use a 1/4 or 1/8 cup measuring cup. Scoop the batter and gently drop it into the oil. Press down gently with the back of the measuring cup to flatten. Fry 2-3 minutes until golden, then flip the latkes and fry 1-2 minutes on the second side. Repeat until all the mixture has been fried. (You will need to add more oil to the pan every couple of batches.)
Yields: 16 latkes
Warm Pasta Salad with Zucchini, Feta, and Chickpeas
By: Miriam Szokovski
Salad Ingredients
- ½ box rotini pasta
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 large red onion
- 1 cup chickpeas, plain or seasoned
- Sheep’s milk feta cheese (to taste)
Dressing Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp oregano
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Black pepper
Directions
Cut zucchini and red onion into quarter rounds and roast on a sheet pan with a drizzle of oil and salt at 450°F (220°C) for 20 minutes.
Cook the pasta in salted water to al dente texture. Drain.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Pour half into the pasta and toss to coat. Add the roasted vegetables, the chickpeas, and the feta cheese. Mix gently and add remaining dressing.
Serve warm.
Serves: 4-6
Pumpkin Doughnuts
By: Paula Shoyer
Ingredients
- ¼ ounce (1 envelope; 7g) dry yeast
- ¼ cup (60ml) warm water
- ¼ cup (50g) plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (80ml) soy milk
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter or margarine, at room temperature for at least 15 minutes
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (120g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3–3 ¼ cups (375–405g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting canola oil for frying
- ¼ cup (30g) confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Directions
In a large bowl, place the yeast, warm water, and one teaspoon of sugar and stir. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, or until thick.
Add the remaining sugar, brown sugar, soy milk, butter/margarine, eggs, pumpkin purée, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and 2 cups (250g) of the flour to the bowl and mix on low speed with either a dough hook in a stand mixer or a wooden spoon. Add another cup (125g) of flour and mix well. Add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, and mix it in until the dough becomes smooth but not sticky, scraping down the sides of the bowl each time before you add more flour.
Cover the dough with a clean dishtowel and let it rise for one hour in a warm place. I use a warming drawer on a low setting, or you can turn your oven on to its lowest setting, wait until it reaches that temperature, place the bowl in the oven, and then turn off the oven.
Punch down the dough by folding it over a few times and reshaping it into a ball. Then re-cover the dough and let it rise for 10 minutes.
Dust a cookie sheet with some flour. Sprinkle some flour on your counter or on a piece of parchment paper and roll the dough out until it’s about ½ inch (1.25cm) thick. Use a 2 ½-inch (6cm) round cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut out circles and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Reroll any scraps. Cover the doughnuts with the towel. Place the cookie sheet back in the oven (warm but turned off) or warming drawer.
Let the doughnuts rise for 45 minutes.
Heat 1 ½ inches (4cm) of oil in a medium saucepan for a few minutes and use a candy thermometer to see when the temperature stays between 365ºF and 370ºF (185°C and 188°C); adjust the flame so the oil stays in that temperature range.
Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on top of it and set it near your stovetop. Gently slide the doughnuts, no more than four to five at time, top side down into the oil and fry for 1 ½ minutes. Turn the doughnuts over and cook another 1 ½ minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon, letting any excess oil drip off, and place on the wire rack to cool. Repeat for the remaining doughnuts. Dust with the confectioners’ sugar and serve. Store covered at room temperature for up to one day and reheat to serve.
Yields: 15 doughnuts
