Tuesday, December 16, 2014

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Hanukkah

We're a multi-cultural family, which makes the December holiday season all the more festive. I don't know how other families do it, but we avoid large presents as Hanukkah opting instead for small inexpensive items. When Danny was little, he'd get a Matchbox car for each night, but as he's long outgrown that, we've went for things like interesting erasers, stickers, and items of that sort. I was able to purchase nut-free chocolate coins for playing dreidel (a 4-sided spinning top) which will be a nice treat. The holiday celebrates a miracle that occurred after the sacking of the ancient temple. There was only enough oil to burn in the eternal flame lamp for one night, yet it burned for eight. To remember that, we light a candle in a menorah each evening at sundown for eight days. It is also custom to eat oily foods symbolic of the miraculous oil. In Israel, they do a sort of jelly filled doughnut, but in the American midwest, Potato pancakes (latkes) are more common. We didn't do these at home growing up, but every restaurant had them on the menu which was good enough as I don't think a frying pan in my mother's hands could have ended anything but badly. Frozen latkes are easy enough to heat on a baking sheet in the oven, but as I learned as an adult, grating and frying potatoes isn't nearly as difficult as it is made out to be.

Through trial and error, I've settled on this recipe being best:
http://eattheblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/potato-latkes-beth-henspergers-recipe.html

Applesauce and sour cream are the typical sides served with potato pancakes, but we've been taking inspiration from our Canadian friends and one year, I came up with this:
http://eattheblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/jewtine.html
Cheese curds and gravy have no place on potato pancakes...oh, what am I saying? Of course they do!

If standing and frying isn't your style, a potato kugel (pudding) is also delicious.
http://eattheblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/potato-kugel-pudding-with-carrots.html

If you really must fry doughnuts, this recipe is excellent. To make a filled doughnut, don't cut a hole, and after frying make a slit in the side, and fill through a pastry tube.
http://eattheblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/raised-potato-doughnuts.html

I let Danny finally see where I hid the wrapped presents...in the laundry hamper. I knew he'd never look there!

Happy Hannukah.








5 comments:

Janice said...

Happy Hannukah Goody!

Goody said...

@Janice

Thanks hon.

I had to laugh-I spent the first night of hanukkah making mince pies. How's that for an interfaith family?

Connie said...

We're a multi-cultural family, too. A tree, a menorah, a December birthday, tons of food, lots of chaos. Love it all. We kind of compromised by giving one gift on the first day of Hanukkah and a few gifts on Xmas day. We toss latkas in any old day, cookies and cocktails always and we take ourselves out to dinner on Chrstmas eve. Ma needs a break from the kitchen. Wheh!
Happy happy All Holidays to you and your family, Goodie!

Propagatrix said...

Jewtine is genius!

Goody said...

@Connie

And happy holidays to you and yours as well. I love the idea of Christmas eve dinner out-you do need a bit of pampering after all that.

@Propagatrix
Thank you. I've been seeing all the gussied-up poutine these days (duck fat, FFS!)and figured I'd make my contribution to the trend. In hindsight, onion gravy would have been a better match.