Veggie Chanukah feast
Free of meat but high on flavor, this Chanukah meal will change the way you look at borscht
By Caralyn Green
Published: December 19th, 2005 | 11:43am
Chanukah meals with my family tend to be meat 'n' potatoes affairs, heavy on the potatoes because, yeah, that's the tradition. Crispy, greasy, sizzling potato latkes might be yummy custom, but they sure leave the vegetarians in the clan out in the cold in terms of nutrients and, well, variety. So, my little bubelahs, here's a version of a Chanukah feast, from starter to ender, for the Jewish grrl with little-to-no time, a slimpickins wallet and a penchant for vibrant, wholesome, flavorful meat-free fare.
The old: Syrupy, saccharine Manishevitz kosher red wine
The new: Punchy Spiked Cider
So, yeah, apples are traditionally a Rosh Hashanah thang — apples and honey to celebrate a sweet new year. And Rosh Hashanah is kind of an autumn holiday. But at Chanukah, we're in the midst of that Jewish new year, right... so let's keep on going with the apple theme. Work with my logic here. Basically, warm, alcoholic cider tastes good. And if I ever gag down one more glass of Manishevitz in my life, it will be one glass too many.
To make:
Combine five cups of apple cider, one cup of pulpfree orange juice, a cinnamon stick or two and a generous cup of spiced rum into a large pot along with one orange studded with whole cloves and one orange that's all sliced up. Bring to a simmer but definitely not a boil. Ladle into mugs, and garnish with those warm, pulpy orange slices. Sip or gulp away, depending on the company. L'chaim!
The old: Chicken Noodle or Matzo Ball Soup
The new: Borscht
Until last year I thought borscht was that neon pink pre-bottled stuff you buy from the Kosher section of the market that tastes like salt and additives and blah. Then my lovely and amazing women's studies prof invited me and some gals over to a dinner, apologized that her farmshare was heavy on the beets that winter, and served us steaming bowls of borscht. No apologies necessary, Marnina. Borscht, a Russian beet soup — traditionally served cold, though in my opinion, kvell-inducing when slurped down hot — is a piece of cake to make, dancing with flavor, and, hey, any food that's naturally magenta in color has got to be good for you taboot.
To make:
Clean, peal and cut four large beets (fresh, not canned) into one-by-one inch cubes, then bring to a boil in three cups of veggie stock gussied up with a couple pinches of salt. Simmer until the beets are tender and the stock is as vibrant as can be (about 30 minutes). Swirl in a couple squeezes of lemon, two tablespoons of honey, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with dollops of plain yogurt and sprigs of fresh dill. An easy, colorful, belly warming beginning to any meal.
The old: Deli spread of corned beef, turkey and the iceberg lettuce fixins. I hear some fams do roast chicken or brisket, which is a cow meat of some sort. Never been sure what sort.
The new: Israeli Salad
This past summer I subsisted entirely off of variations on the traditional Israeli Salad, a fusion of cut-up veggies tossed in a tart, way effortless dressing. Refreshing and vegan, and it stores extremely well if you feel like making it in advance, or just making a gigantic batch and eating it for the rest of the year.
To make:
Finely (and I do mean finely) dice up one unpeeled cucumber, eight plum tomatoes and half of a red onion. Combine the veggies in a large bowl, then drizzle with three tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and the juice of a lemon. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and however much fresh mint and parsley you fancy. Serve chilled. I've been known to add a can of chickpeas to the salad to protein things up. So if you wanna mess with the original, you have my blessing. Just make sure you drain and rinse those garbanzos.
The old: Potato Latkes
The new: Potato Latkes
There are some things you don't mess with. Margaret Cho is up there. Peanut butter and orange marmalade sandwiches might be a close second. And coming in third is the no-fuss Potato Latke. There are recipes out there for latkes crammed with zucchini and bell peppers and soy sauce and cumin, but c'mon! In this case, nothing beats the original. It's like, vintage.
To make:
Grate by hand six Russet potatoes, then squeeze out excess liquid using a (clean!) dishtowel. Now, abstaining from the food processor might seem tedious and slightly knuckle-endangering (which it is), but it's worth it: it'll save your latkes from becoming mushy mouth-nightmares. In a large bowl, combine two beaten eggs, two tablespoons matzo meal*, a quarter teaspoon of baking powder, the grated potatoes and half of an onion, finely chopped. Season with more salt than pepper.
Heat an inch of so of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Plop heaping spoonfuls of the potato batter into the oil and press into pancake-shaped patties. Brown, then flip and brown the other side. Drain the latkes on paper towels. You can keep these warm in the oven on cookie sheets until hungry guests arrive and clamor for more. FYI, latkes are traditionally served with applesauce and/or sour cream, but since this latke recipe is so simple, you can get zippy with accoutrements. My Grammy likes to eat hers sprinkled with sugar. Cranberry relish is delice. Indian-style raita is amazing.
The old: Sufganiot
The new: Sweet Potato and Apple Latkes ala Mode
Chanukah, in case you haven't noticed, is all about clogging your arteries with fried foods in order to celebrate the miracle of some oil lasting for eight days in ancient times. I recommend Googling the Chanukah story if you're really that curious, because it's a cool one, I guess. Anyway, sufganiot (pronounced soof-gahn-ee-oht) are jelly-filled, dripping in oil, powered sugar-dusted doughnuts regularly eaten during Chanukah. They're delicious, because what dessert isn't, but I tend to leave the doughnut making to the folks over at Krispy Kreme. So if you don't feel like picking up a dozen at your local franchise, I recommend a batch of my Sweet Potato and Apple Latkes ala Mode. They're a bit more labor intensive than dropping by the bakery on your way home from work, but we're talking dessert, and dessert is always worth the extra effort.
To make:
Peel and grate-by-hand two large sweet potatoes and one Granny Smith apple. Combine with two beaten eggs, a tablespoon of matzo meal*, a palmful of chopped walnuts, and — to punch up the chutzpah factor — a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, a couple of pinches of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg. Heat some canola oil in a skillet, plop spoonfuls of the batter into the bubbling oil, and press into patties. Brown on both sides, and drain on paper towels. Serve topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dusting of cinnamon and a drizzling of store-bought caramel sauce. Make sure you also have plenty of gold-foil wrapped Chanukah Gelt on hand for the post-meal Dreidel-play munchies.
*If you don't have any matzo meal in your pantry — and let's face it, not many of us do — feel free to substitute regular ol' flour.
Issue #34
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