Thanksgiving and Chanukah – two of my favorite holidays – are coming up almost simultaneously this year. One of the things I love about Thanksgiving is that expectations are met. I expect there will be a bunch of food and chaos – and voilà – every year – that’s what I get. No one crying about not getting the present they wanted.
Come Light the Menorah…
Expectations for Chanukah
are a little different. We light the candles. We eat latkes. Then there is
the minor detail of presents. We don’t have a minhag of giving presents every night, but the kids do get gifts
(especially from Grammy and Pop and Granny and Poppop and the aunts and
uncles). I try really hard to set expectations properly. (It makes my heart sad
when I give someone something I think they want and then have a puddle on the
floor because the recipient’s expectations were so drastically different.) Sometimes
I say to my kids, “Imagine I am about to give you spaghetti sauce.” (They would
never want spaghetti sauce as a gift, of course.) “Therefore, whatever you end
up getting is better than spaghetti sauce!” Doesn’t always work, but sometimes
it does.
I try to
focus on family fun activities, and expectations are easier to manage.
Let’s Have a Party…
Hosting
guests is nothing new to us. Making a bunch of food for a bunch of people is
our modus operandi around here. Cooking
some fun and fall-ish side dishes helps round out the Thanksgiving table, and
if you are having a Chanukah party, my favorite hack for doughnuts is, as
always, Rhodes Dinner Rolls. Defrost, fry, fill. (You can pre-fill them with
cookies or chocolates, as long as they are completely sealed before frying.) If
you need this recipe (which we have published previously in this column), just shoot
me an email and I’ll send it over to you.
We’ll All Dance the Hora
While you
or your kids are peeling and grating the potatoes, toss on some music – Ari
Goldwag’s “Today’s the Day” is a fan favorite – and enjoy the time
together.
* * *
I eat lots
of latkes during Chanukah. For one, they are delicious. I love them for
themselves, and I love them as the base for an appetizer. Here are some tips:
Switcharoo #1: If you want gluten-free
latkes, remove the flour and substitute gluten-free flour, or simply leave out
the flour.
Switcharoo #2: Swap the potatoes with
another root vegetable, like carrot, parsnip, or sweet potato.
Keep
it dry: Too much moisture will steam
food instead of frying it. Right after you grate the vegetable, squeeze out as
much moisture as you can.
Keep
it hot: Make sure your oil is hot before you start.
Less-than-hot oil will seep into your food. How hot is hot enough? Drop a drop
of batter into the oil. If it sizzles and rises to the surface, the oil is hot
and ready for frying.
“Social distance”: Do not crowd the pan.
First of all, you will make handling the latkes more difficult. Also, crowding
will bring down the temperature of the oil. Adding the latke batter at steady
intervals ensures that the oil has time to return to the desired temperature.
Keep it clean: Rather than using spatulas or slotted spoons, which sop up
unnecessary oil, work with two forks when removing latkes from the pan. Lift
each latke with a fork on each side and hold it vertically for a second or two
over the frying pan: You will be surprised by how much oil drips off.
Immediately place the items on a plate lined with several layers of paper
towels, which will absorb any remaining unwanted grease.
And now
for the recipe…
Classic Latkes
1 pound potatoes, peeled and
grated
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. flour (increase for
thicker latkes)
1/4 c. (1 small onion)
onions, diced
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
Oil for frying (should cover
your pan by about 1/2 an inch)
Add the
egg, salt, flour, onions, and pepper to the potatoes and mix. Then drop by the
tablespoon in hot oil and fry for about 1 minute until golden brown. Flip and
fry the other side. Thin latkes cook quickly. If you like thicker latkes, increase
the cooking time.
Tip: After the potatoes are grated,
you can take a 1/4 of the mixture and blitz it in the food processor with the S-blade
and pulse. You do not want to puree the whole batch. But pureeing just part of
the grated potatoes will fill in the “holes” in the latkes when you fry them.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Spinach and Cranberries
This side dish looks gorgeous and is
incredibly flavorful. You can use sweet potatoes or a different squash,
instead, and you can either omit the pecans or substitute your favorite
nut.
Butternut squash, peeled and
de-seeded
1 large red onion, peeled
and diced
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 oz. fresh spinach, checked
and de-stemmed
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. toasted pecans
Preheat
oven to 450° F. Spray a baking sheet. Slice butternut squash into 1-inch cubes.
Toss squash, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oil together in a bowl
until coated and transfer to prepared cookie sheet. Roast until squash is
soft and turning brown: 25 to 30 minutes. Toss squash mixture, spinach,
cranberries, and pecans together and serve warm.
Green Bean Casserole
This is an old stand by for Thanksgiving. It
is often dairy. This is our pareve version.
2 T. vegan butter
2 T. flour
1 c. diced onions
1 c. vegetable or chicken
broth
1/2 c. non-dairy
creamer or coconut milk
1 8-oz. can sliced
mushrooms, drained
4 c. green beans, fresh or
canned
1 can French’s onion rings
Preheat
oven to 350° F. Melt vegan butter in 5-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté
onions until caramelized. Whisk in flour and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Stir
in vegetable broth (pareve) or chicken broth (meat) and coconut milk. Add green
beans (if fresh) and let simmer. Stir until thickened and bubbling. Add
canned mushrooms. Place in a casserole dish and bake in oven for 25
minutes. Top with French onion rings and bake an additional 5 minutes or
until onion rings are golden.
*
* *
It’s traditional during Chanukah to
have some cheese dishes – as a nod to Yehudis, the amazingly bold and clever
heroine, who almost single-handedly defeated Holofernes, Nebuchadnezzar’s
general, (she actually chopped off his head!) with the help of salty cheese.
So, how about
cheese with French fries? We happen to have a bunch of bags of French fries in
the freezer, and my kids (and I!) happen to love French fries. Using
them as a base, you can create an incredible mountain of deliciousness.
Frenchos
or Frachos
I invented this dish – and the name. I like to call
them Frachos (French fries plus nachos). You get the picture. This is
a great dish to serve for a party – or simply make dinner into a party.
1 24-oz. bag French fries
2 c. grated cheese
1 c. caramelized onions
1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
1 c. salsa
1/2 c. canned red beans, drained
and rinsed
Juice of 1 lime
2 T red onion, diced (optional)
1 c. guacamole
1 c. sour cream
Chives, for garnish (optional)
2 T. Garlic aioli (optional)
Fry the fries in
375° F. oil. If you have a deep fryer, it’ll go quicker. If you are using a
pan, fry in small batches in 2 inches or more of oil. If you prefer, you
can bake your fries. Spray a baking sheet, put the fries in one layer,
spray the tops of the fries, then bake at 400° F. until browned.
Pile the fried or
baked French fries back on the baking sheet, top with the cheese, caramelized
onions, salsa, and jalapenos. (You can substitute latkes for the French fries.)
Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is browned. Make sure you don’t
burn them!
Top with red
onions, guacamole, sour cream, and chives. Drizzle the garlic aioli and then
squeeze the lemon juice all over the dish. Enjoy!
Fall Cider Cocktail
or Mocktail
This recipe is very flexible. It calls for
apple cider, but you can pick your flavor. If you like pomegranate, use
pomegranate juice.
1 c, sugar (or maple syrup)
1 c. water
1/2 c. ginger (peeled and
diced small)
1 stick cinnamon, broken
1 c. fresh lime juice
6 c. sparkling apple cider
(or apple cider or, in a pinch, apple juice)
Vodka (optional)
Make a
simple syrup by combining the sugar, water, ginger, and cinnamon stick in a
pot. Bring to a simmer. Once the mixture has simmered for about 2
minutes, or until all the sugar is dissolved, strain and discard the solids. (The
ginger and cinnamon flavors should now be infused into the liquid.) Let cool.
In a
pitcher combine the rest of the ingredients. If you want, make a cocktail
by adding vodka to taste.
