Jewish Cooking Boot Camp: The Modern Girl's Guide to Cooking Like a Jewish Grandmother (12 page)

Years ago they used to have this simple cucumber salad on the tables at Roz's favorite local deli,
and it was one of her favorites. She tried and tried to duplicate it and finally came up with the
right combination of ingredients.

1. Mix the water, vinegar, sugar, and dill in a large container.

2. Place the cucumbers, onion, and red pepper in the liquid mixture.

3. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

* This salad is best if made at least a day ahead of time. The longer it marinates, the better.

"Chanukah is the festival of light, instead of one day of presents we have eight crazy nights!"

-ADAM SANDLER, "THE CHANUKAH SONG"

Probably the most festive and fun of all the modern Jewish holidays, Chanukah is a favorite
of every kid (and kid-at-heart) across the globe. From gelt (or chocolate money) to presents,
there's no shortage of excitement when it come to celebrating with family-but for many, the
true culinary lure of the holiday comes small and fried and topped with applesauce. Yes, the
latke. For our Chanukah menu, it is the tried-and-true latke that takes center stage, with an
unusual and simple recipe (no flour!) sure to make mouths water. We rounded out the meal
with a brisket and a chicken (for those who pass on red meat or have guests who do), some
fresh and roasted veggies, and a crisp salad dressing that will leave room for piles of fried
potatoes. For larger groups we've thrown in an extra appetizer that you can easily swap in
or out depending on tastes and appetites. For dessert we've included a recipe for a fantastic
chocolate lace cookie, a treat that goes perfectly with coffee and present opening, and some
carrot cake cupcakes sure to fulfill your post-latke sweet tooth.

Moderately Priced Red:

Fess Parker Frontier Red (Santa Barbara,
California)

Special-Occasion Red:

D'arenberg Foot Bolt Shiraz (Australia)

Moderately Priced White:

Frei Brothers Chardonnay (Sonoma,
California)

Special-Occasion White:

Newton Red Label Chardonnay (Napa,
California)

"Our family has gotten so big via marriages and babies that now we only buy presents for all
the kids. When it comes to the adults, we do two things. The first is a small $30 gift that we
use in a `Dirty Santa-esque' exchange: basically, you draw a number and can steal the gift
from anyone before you. For the second, we draw names at Thanksgiving dinner and put a
higher price tag (usually between $100 and $150), then we reveal the gifts and the giver on
the first night of Chanukah. It's a lot of fun and saves us all a lot of stress."

-STACI, MIAMI, FLORIDA

"Chanukah 1986, I was four and my sister was three. My entire family had driven from
Seattle to LA to visit our grandparents for Chanukah. One evening, as we were lighting
the candles, my mother, sister, grandmother, and I were hovering around saying the prayer
back and forth in both Hebrew and English. At the end of reciting the English, my little sister, in her three-year-old squeaky voice, screamed `CHANUKAH!!!!!!' She yelled it
as though she had just won a million dollars. In her three-year-old world, this particular
night of Chanukah was the best night of her life. Ever since, as an entire family we always
yell `CHANUKAH!!' with just as much gusto as my sister did in 1986. Now twenty-five and
twenty-seven, my sister and I will never say the prayer for lighting the Chanukah candles
in a boring fashion, and I honestly hope our silly little tradition will be passed on to our own
children (when they come around ...)."

-MEGAN, CORVALLIS, OREGON

"I grew up in Israel where Chanukah is actually much more simple than here in the U. S.
When my son was able to REALLY understand the holiday, we made a safe menorah using
crayons instead of candles. At night, we light two menorahs-one for each child. My kids
have a great time choosing the candle colors and setting it up. We do the prayers, light the
candles, and then sing songs together in Hebrew, English, and Spanish. It's a lot of fun!"

-EFRAT, MIAMI, FLORIDA

"We have a tradition for giving Chanukah gifts by choosing envelopes. When my two children were young, I would fill sixteen envelopes (one for each night for each child) with different amounts of money, all of which would add up to a certain total (usually $50 or $100).
Each night they would choose one envelope ... sometimes they would get $20 and sometimes
only $1. It became a game to see who could end up with the bigger total by the last night.
Now that they are grown, with families of their own, we fill the envelopes with different gift
cards to bookstores or coffee shops or restaurants. It's fun to see who gets what, and the suspense of which envelope to choose never gets old!"

-JOYCE, CLEARWATER, FLORIDA

"Every year we get together to celebrate Chanukah with friends and family, and everyone
brings their own menorah. We light all the candles together, sing songs, and say the prayers
and then take TONS of pictures."

-MYRA, MIAMI, FLORIDA

1. Chanukah is observed for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth day of the month of
Kislev (a date that roughly correlates to sometime in December).

2. Chanukah commemorates the miraculous victory of the Maccabees over the pagan SyrianGreeks who ruled Israel.

3. Chanukah has two meanings: The first is "dedication," for it was on Chanukah that the
rededication of the Holy Temple took place. The second meaning derives from Chanu
("they rested"-meaning the Maccabees) and Kah ("on the twenty-fifth").

• For more than twenty years an amateur cook in Long Island has organized a Latke
Festival.

• The Jones Soda Company created a Chanukah 2007 latke soda.

• One legend says Judah Maccabee and his soldiers ate latkes to fortify themselves on the
way to battle the Syrians.

• Yes, you can make latkes with sweet potatoes.

• There is an annual Great Latke-Hamantash Debate among academic scholars.

• The menorah is meant to be displayed for all to see. These days that means either the front
window of the home or the room inside that gets the most traffic.

Once and for All: Lighting the Menorah

Chanukah candles should be lit when stars first appear in the sky. They are placed
in the menorah starting on the far right side and moving left each night. They are
lit, however, from the left to the right. Whew.

It's Not a Party without Cocktails ...

At least, that's what we always say! When your crowd is in a festive mood, nothing
raises the fun factor more than specialty drinks. Most of us aren't in the position to
hire a bartender (though it's never a bad idea for a large crowd), but that's not a problem. There are plenty of drinks that are easy to make and delicious to taste that will
appeal to a wide range of guests. Below we offer three takes on non-traditional holiday cocktails from two of our favorite restaurants. The Pink Ginger Skyy Martini
is a festive, fun, colorful option that's simple and straightforward. For larger groups
you can't go wrong with sangria (delicious, fun, and self-serve), so we've provided you
with both a red and white option. For the best sangria, prepare it in advance and let
it sit in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. The fruit will soak up the liquid and
make the drink even better.

(Courtesy of Pacific Time executive chef/owner Jonathan Eismann)

Add the vodka, Triple Sec, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a splash of ginger juice to a
cocktail tumbler with ice; shake well. Strain into a martini glass.

* Sangria is normally made in large batches. Thus, you should double these recipes.

(Courtesy of Brosia restaurant owner Scott Engelman and Chef Arthur Artilles)

Mix all the ingredients and let sit for couple of hours in the refrigerator to marinate
the fruit. Pour into a large rocks glass with lots of ice.