Hanukkah favourites to grace your table

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This article was published 01/12/2010 (5771 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HANUKKAH, the Jewish festival of lights, begins tonight at sunset, and will be marked with prayers, candles and, of course, food. Winnipeg’s Enid Barnes sent in this recipe for rugelach, a traditional Jewish treat. The recipe for latkes, crispy potato pancakes, is from my mother-in-law, Betty Anne Hershfield. The oil used to fry the latkes helps to commemorate a military victory against Syrian-Greek forces in the second century BC, when the menorah in the reclaimed temple miraculously burned for eight days until new oil could be purified.

Donna Smigelsky of Winnipeg is looking for some recipe swap help. Donna’s father, who is ill and lives alone, needs food that can be prepared in less then two hours, frozen in single-use portions and reheated in the microwave. They’ve tried chili, beef stew, mushroom soup and borscht but are running out of ideas. “I was wondering if you or any of your readers may have simple recipes to share that would keep an ‘old Ukrainian man’ happy and eating healthy,” writes Donna.

If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you’d like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

 

Betty Anne’s latkes

4 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold or russet)

1 small onion

2 eggs

75 ml (1/3 cup) flour

5 ml (1 tsp) baking powder

3 ml (3/4 tsp) salt

Peanut or canola oil

Peel potatoes and place in ice w. Peel onion. Grate the potatoes and onion by hand, or use a food processor with a medium grater attachment. Drape a clean dish towel in a bowl and place grated potatoes and onions in towel. Form the towel into a ball and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Then lay the towel out flat and pat potato and onion mixture dry with paper towels. Place in a dry bowl. Blend eggs, flour, baking powder and salt and pour over potato and onions. Mix together (with hands works best).

In a heavy frying pan, heat oil to medium-high and drop about 20 ml (1 heaping tbsp.) batter into the hot oil, then flatten slightly to 6 cm (21/2 in) disk. Cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. (You might have to adjust heat so you can cook up nicely without over-browning.)

Tester’s notes: These tasty latkes were brown and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, thanks to dry potatoes and hot oil. If you need to make ahead, store in single layers in a sealed container in the fridge, then reheat in a hot oven by placing on cookie sheets covered with slightly crumpled aluminium foil. (Don’t even think about using the microwave, which leaves latkes soggy.)

 

 

 

Hanukkah rugelach (adapted from Marcy Goldman)

Dough:

454 g (2 cups) unsalted butter, melted

75 ml (1/3 cup) sugar

1000 ml (4 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

1 ml (1/4 tsp) baking powder

500 ml (2 cups) sour cream

 

Filling (to be divided into 4):

75 ml (1/3 cup), approx., raspberry or apricot jam

125 ml (1/2 cup) brown sugar

5 ml (1 tsp) cinnamon

250 ml (1 cup) walnuts or other nuts, finely chopped

250 ml (1 cup) raisins

 

1 egg

Pinch sugar

Icing sugar

 

Using an electric mixer, with a paddle attachment if possible, blend melted butter, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and sour cream on low speed until dough comes together and pulls away from side of bowl. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll in a bit more flour, if necessary, to make a soft but manageable dough. Divide into four equal portions, press each portion into a flattened disk and wrap in wax paper. Chill for 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F). Stack two cookie sheets together and line top sheet with parchment paper. On a floured surface, roll out each portion of dough into a 30 cm (12 in) circle. Plump raisins by covering with hot water, letting stand for 5-10 minutes, draining and patting dry. Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts and raisins in a small bowl. On each circle, spoon out a light covering of jam and sprinkle with 1/4 of filling to within 1.2 cm (1/2 inch) of outside edge. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge starting from the wide end and place on prepared cookie sheets. Whisk egg with sugar and brush pastries with egg wash. Bake 30-40 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool completely on rack and dust with icing sugar.

Tester’s notes: A delicious cross between a cookie and a little pastry. My tendency is to go overboard with fillings, on the theory that if some is good, then more is better. But rugelach won’t roll properly if over-filled, so it’s best to stick to the recipe.