HAPPY HANUKKAH!

Saturday at sunset starts this year's Hanukkah Festival of Lights! With my Jewish heritage, I look forward to this every year. I love celebrating holidays. If you don't know what this festival about, it is the miracle of lights. Since I double dip and celebrate Christmas also, it is an exciting Holiday season! Best wishes also to those celebrating other seasonal Holy Days.

Chanukah -- the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev-- celebrates the triumph of lightover darkness, of purity overadulteration, of spirituality over materiality.

More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d.

When they sought to light the Temple's menorah (the seven branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah (candelabrum) lighting: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Chanukah, when all eight lights are kindled.

On Chanukah we also add the Hallel and Al HaNissim in our daily prayers to offer praise and thanksgiving to G-d for "delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few... the wicked into the hands of therighteous."

Chanukah customs include eating foods fried in oil -- latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts); playing with the dreidel (a spinning top on which are inscribed the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, "a great miracle happened there"); and the giving ofChanukah gelt, gifts of money, to children.

Our personal tradition includes the giving of gelt, chocolate covered coins. 

My personal menu usually includes lamb or goose for this meal, because fat is a part of this meal as is dairy. So this Saturday, I'll do a nice roast beef brisket, rubbed with montreal seasoning, seared and scored with garlic tucked in and slow roasted in my crock pot slow and low all day and basted in merlot syrup. To die for.

Then I also serve latkes (potato cakes) and you can find that recipe on my Passover posting. 

Here's a couple of different recipes for you for this dinner.

SPINACH TIDBITS

Ingredients:

• 1 (16-ounce) package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion flakes
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup seasoned mini croutons
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon prepared crushed garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit (190° Celsius).
2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, place spinach, parmesan, onion, egg, croutons, butter, garlic and Tabasco. Mix well.
5. Shape spinach mixture into 1-inch balls using hands or a melon baller.
6. Arrange on cookie sheet spaced 1 inch apart.
7. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 15 minutes, until croutons are slightly golden.

TIP: Prepare this a week ahead of time by freezing tidbits after step 6. Freeze them on the cookie sheet overnight and in the morning transfer them to a sealable plastic bag for easier storage. Do not thaw them before baking; just increase baking time by 20 minutes.

YIELD: 6 servings

Sufganiot

Sufganiot are deep-fried jelly doughnuts that are traditionally eaten during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Sufganiot are especially popular in Israel. The oil used to fry the doughnuts are reminiscent of the oil that miraculously burned, according to the Hanukkah story, in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.

Ingredients:

• 25 grams (1 ounce) yeast
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 3 cups flour
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) margarine, melted
• dash of salt
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 1/4 cups water (room temperature)
• jelly (strawberry is recommended)
• oil for frying (canola is recommended)
• powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. To make the dough: Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl. Mix well, cover, and wait until it rises. In another bowl, mix 3 cups of flour with the melted margarine, salt, sugar and egg yolks. Combine the yeast mixture with the flour mixture. Slowly add water while stirring. When batter is smooth, cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit and rise.
2. To make the doughnuts: After the batter has risen, pour it onto a floured surface and roll it out. Use a glass with a small opening to cut out circles of the dough. Place a drop of jelly in the middle of each circle, and then cover with another circle of dough. Make sure that 2 circles attach well to form a closed ball with jelly in the middle. Cover the doughnuts with a towel and let rise.
3. To fry the doughnuts: Heat oil in a deep pot until very hot. Drop the doughnuts into the oil and fry on both sides until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

TIP: These sufganiot are only good fresh. After you make the dough, only fry a few at a time. Store the rest of the dough in the refrigerator.

Golden Rugalach

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut in pieces and chilled
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut in chunks and chilled
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Filling
• 3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
• 1 cup apricot preserves
• 2/3 cups golden raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Egg Wash:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

For the dough: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized pieces of butter, about 20 times. Add the cream cheese and sour cream, and pulse until it comes together in a rough dough (with some uneven pebbles sized-pieces). Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface and divide into 4 equal portions. Pat each portion into a flat square and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze dough for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the nuts in a clean food processor. Add the preserves, raisins and salt; puree to make a very smooth paste.

Roll a portion of dough into a 6 by 14-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. (Don't worry about slightly rough edges; these will be rolled inside of the rugalach.) Spread 1/4 of the filling over the surface with a small spatula. Starting with a long side, roll the dough up into a tight cylinder ending with the seam on the bottom. Press the top slightly to flatten; wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for another 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The cylinders can be frozen for up to a month.)

Meanwhile, evenly position the racks in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

Slice the cylinders into 1 1/2-inch pieces, and place rugalach seam-side down on the prepared pans.Whisk the egg yolks together and brush this glaze over the top of the rugalach. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until pale golden and crispy on top, about 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Carefully transfer rugalach to a rack to cool. Serve.

Store rugalach in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

CHICKEN MATZO BALL SOUP

Ingredients

Saffron matzo balls:

• 8 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken fat, melted (schmaltz), plus 2 tablespoons, for optional garnish
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups matzo meal
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Soup:

• 1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) chicken
• 4 quarts chicken stock

Sofrito:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1/2 cup quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced (1/4-inch) red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced (1/4-inch) green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Small pinch saffron
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce, optional

Directions

To make the matzo balls, bring a large pot of salted water or chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Whisk the eggs, oils, chicken fat, water, parsley, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, add the matzo meal and sift in the baking powder. Mix together, then fold into the eggs. Cover with plastic wrap, pressed tightly against the batter and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Moisten your hands lightly with water and form the matzo mixture into 24 walnut-sized balls. Carefully drop the matzo balls into the water or broth. Reduce the heat to medium and partially cover. Simmer gently until the matzo balls are cooked through, about 40 minutes. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the matzo balls to a large bowl of cold water.

Meanwhile, make the soup. Bring the chicken pieces and stock to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the soup. Remove and discard the skin, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, and reserve the meat until service. Return the remaining bones back to the broth and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes more to further develop the soup's flavor.

While the soup is simmering, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, tomatoes, red and green peppers, cilantro, garlic and saffron. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables in the sofrito are tender, but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the hot sauce, if using. Set the sofrito aside.

When ready to serve, strain the soup and discard the bones. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the sofrito and chicken pieces. Add the matzo balls and simmer until the matzo balls are heated through, about 5 minutes. (The soup and matzo balls can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.)

Ladle the soup, along with sofrito, chicken and matzo balls into bowls and serve hot, with an optionaldrizzle of the additional melted chicken fat (schmaltz).

RED CABBAGE SALAD

Ingredients 

Original recipe makes 6 servings

1/2 cup canola oil

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 head red cabbage, cored and shredded

Directions

In a bowl, mix the canola oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, seasoned salt, pepper, and onion powder. Place the cabbage in a large glass bowl. Pour dressing over cabbage, and toss to coat. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight, stirring occasionally. Drain before serving.

The meal would not be complete without cinnamon applesauce on the side.