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Good morning! Happy Thanksgiving! Tomorrow is the first night of Hanukkah, "The Festival of Lights." Thanksgiving is late, Hanukkah is early. Go figure.
My sister Sandy and I will be doing some shopping on Black Friday and we’ll be home well before sundown. This year, the first night of the eight-day festival falls on Shabbat. The Sabbath is a special weekly holiday for Jews all over the world. Candles are lit, the table is set with china, silver and crystal. Two braided challahs take pride of place on the table. The menorah will be lit first, followed by the two Shabbat candles. We will say the "motzi," or the blessing over the bread. Then we will say the blessing over the wine, and dinner will begin.
Latkes are the traditional treat enjoyed during Hanukkah. I never met a latke I didn’t like. Potato latkes are the most popular, although you can make latkes from just about anything, including leftover Thanksgiving turkey. We call them turkey "croquettes."
Many people make brisket for a Hanukkah dinner party. A number of unusual recipes have been floating around for years. Some include crushed ginger snaps and cranberry sauce. Others add brown sugar with an envelope of dehydrated soup mix with either chili sauce or ketchup. A friend told me she has a recipe that calls for adding a can of Coca-Cola to the roasting pan. Brisket is easy because little prep time is required. You can make potato latkes as the brisket roasts in the oven.
I will probably roast a brisket on Sunday because we will enjoy leftover turkey with potato latkes on the first night of Hanukkah. Since brisket and latkes are rich, a light salad is a fitting first course. Consider arugula, endive and fennel tossed with a handful of grape tomatoes and dressed in a light lemon vinaigrette. Saut�ed cinnamon apples will be served with the main course.
While leafing through Everyday Cooking for the Jewish Home by Ethel Hofman ($25, Harper Collins, hardbound), I came across a recipe for Jewish Scottish strudel. Hofman, a fine kosher cook who lives in Bala Cynwyd, was born in Scotland and regularly returns to visit family and friends.
"The women in the small, tight-knit Glasgow Jewish community are famous as good bakers," she wrote in an introduction to the recipe. "Their Hanukkah strudel pastry is actually a spongy cake dough instead of traditional filo leaves. It freezes well."
Here are recipes for a celebratory Hanukkah dinner.
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Apple Cider Brisket
From Adventures in Jewish Cooking by Jeffrey Nathan
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (6-pound) whole beef brisket
3 large onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons
3 cups apple cider, as needed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or small roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the brisket and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about eight minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, just until softened, about five minutes. Place the brisket on top of the onions, add the apple cider and molasses, and sprinkle the meat and onions with the garlic, rosemary and thyme. If necessary, add more cider (or water) to almost cover the brisket. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and place in the oven. Bake until the brisket is fork-tender, about three hours.
Uncover and let the brisket cool in the pot. Cover and refrigerate until the next day.
Scrape off and discard any hardened fat on the surface of the cooking liquid. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board and slice thinly against the grain.
Meanwhile, bring the cooking liquid to a boil over high heat. Taste and if the flavor needs concentrating, simmer for a few minutes to evaporate excess liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
Return the sliced brisket to the liquid, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until heated through. Serve hot with the onions.
Serves six.
Note: You can serve the brisket right away, but Nathan says the flavors meld nicely if the brisket has been refrigerated overnight.
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Potato Latkes
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 small onion, peeled and cut into small dice, optional
4 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
3 tablespoons flour or matzoh meal
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Canola oil for frying
Directions:
Place the eggs, onion, if using, and potatoes in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the potatoes are coarsely chopped. Add flour or matzoh meal, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times to blend.
Heat about 1/4 inch oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop tablespoonfuls of potato mixture into the skillet, pressing lightly with the back of a spoon to flatten each latke. Fry about three minutes on each side and continue frying until all the mixture is used up.
Drain latkes on paper towels and serve.
Serves six.
Note from Phyllis: I find using two frying pans at once saves time. You can keep cooked latkes warm in a preheated 300-degree oven.
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Jewish Scottish Strudel
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3-3/4 cups self-rising flour
6 tablespoons apricot preserves, melted
1 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup currants
6 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick vegetable spray.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs with sugar until thick and pale, about three minutes. Stir in oil. Fold in flour. Refrigerate for one hour.
Divide dough into three pieces. On a floured board, press one piece of dough into a rectangle about 6 inches by 10 inches. Spread 2 tablespoons preserves over the dough. Sprinkle on 1/3 cup raisins, 1/4 cup currants and 2 tablespoons nuts. Dust lightly with cinnamon. Roll up as for a jelly roll. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Bake in a preheated oven 35 minutes. Let cool. Cut into slices 1/2-inch thick.
Note: In place of self-rising flour, you can substitute 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour mixed with 4 teaspoons baking powder.
Note from Phyllis: Raspberry preserves can be substituted for the apricot preserves.
