Learning Hanukkah Through Food

I made my first Hanukkah dinner this year—and, wow, what a journey of food and culture.

After receiving this assignment from Patch to provide Hanukkah recipes to the community, I compacted the eight nights into eight hours of frying kale and poaching pears to experience the holiday that celebrates "light winning out over darkness," according to my publicist friend Roz Wolf.

Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, according to the Beach Cities' Jewish Community Center Chabad. When the Temple was reclaimed, there was only a one-day supply of oil to light a menorah at the Temple.

Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days.

Hanukkah's special dishes include fried foods in remembrance of the oil. While making my holiday dinner, I followed a somewhat kosher style by not mixing dairy products with meat (that isn't easy).

Plus, I used all organic produce and kosher wine. I purposely omitted a dessert, but usually it's fruit and nuts, again, no dairy. Some families start Hanukkah dinner with Matzo Ball soup, and a chicken liver pate, but it all depends on family tradition. Here is what I experienced:

Roasted and Braised Brisket with Parsnip Gravy

This cut of meat takes a long time to cook due to the connective tissues tenderizing. Adding the broth and ginger ale and aromatics gives it a little sweetness and prevents it from drying out. Cooking the meat dry in a hot oven for the first hour makes a nice crunchy crust on the fat. Then let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice meat on the long side against the grain and serve with Parsnip gravy. (I used an organically grown corn-finished Kansas Beef with no growth hormones, no steroids and no antibiotics)

2-pound brisket, do not remove fat

2 cans of organic beef broth (24 ounces)

1 cup of ginger ale

1 large onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

To get started: you'll need a roasting pan with two and a half-inch sides. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place brisket, fat side up, in the oven for the first hour to roast, uncovered. Remove from oven and add beef broth, ginger ale, onion, garlic and the whole dried rosemary into the roasting pan. Cover and leave in oven for another 3 hours, cook until tender.

Remove from pan and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

For the gravy:

1 fresh parsnip, peeled and chopped

Pan drippings from brisket, strained (about two cups)

½ cup beef broth (if needed)

3 tablespoons of cornstarch, with enough water or beef broth added, stirred together until smooth and pourable. I mix mine into a small juice cup.

Strain broth and place into saucepan. Add chopped parsnips and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes with the lid on. Add extra broth, if necessary.

Add cornstarch mixture into the heated broth and pan juices. Bring to boil, stirring constantly until the mixture is translucent again and thickened. Add more broth if it gets too thick. Do not freeze.

Yukon Gold Potato and Celery Root Latkes

2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and grated

½ celery root, peeled and grated

½ onion, finely chopped

2 eggs

¼ Matzo flour (optional)

Dash of nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil for frying (Canola oil, safflower oil, or peanut oil work best)

I recommend not only using a large frying pan, but also using enough oil to be able to float the latkes while frying. Fill the pan up to one inch below the top edge.

Combine all ingredients, and carefully place a large spoonful into oil that reads with a thermometer 350 degrees. Of course, stand back if the oil pops, and try to flatten out the latke with a spatula into a pancake shape.

Using a spatula that can withstand high heat, turn the latkes when they brown. When cooked, place them onto wire racks over a cookie sheet, or paper towel to drain. This recipe makes six 3-inch latkes.

Serve with apple and blueberry compote or Parsnip gravy.

Chunky Apple and Blueberry Compote

3 average-sized apples, cored, peeled and coarsely chopped

½ medium-sized white onion, chopped

1 cup water or more during cooking process

2 tablespoons Gran Marnier

½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1/8 teaspoon orange zest

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup dried blueberries

To serve with latkes: Place all ingredients, except for blueberries, into medium-sized pot and cook on low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Mixture should not be allowed to dry out. Add a little more water to loosen if the water cooks off.

Add dried blueberries and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.

Crush some of the chunks of apple and blueberry with a fork.

Check seasoning. Add enough salt to balance out the sweetness of the Gran Marnier and serve with latkes.

Fried Kale

1 bunch kale, cleaned, dried, and remove rib and tear into bite-size pieces (Broccoli, sweet potato, and carrots cut into bite-size pieces work well, too)

Batter instructions:

½ cup batter mix (such as Bisquick)

½ cup cornstarch

¾ cup water

Oil for frying (Canola, safflower or peanut oil work well)

Place oil into frying pan with enough oil so that it reaches about one half-inch below the top of the pan. Check temperature of oil with thermometer until it reaches 350 degrees.

Place the batter mix and cornstarch in a large bowl, add water and mix well with a whisk. Coat the kale (or substitute vegetables) with the batter, shaking off excess and quickly adding to the oil. Fry for about 10 seconds for kale (but longer for more dense veggies) or until brown and crispy on both sides. Place on a wire rack to drain. Serve immediately.

Wine Poached Pears

2 fresh pears, cored, peeled and sliced into rounds

1 bottle of Kosher Cabernet Sauvignon

½ cup brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

A dash of freshly grated nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a medium-size saucepan and cook for at least 25 minutes on a low simmer. Turn off the heat, leaving ingredients to stew into pears. Reheat when ready for service, or can be served cold.

Melinda Curtis is owner of the personal and private chef service Open House Culinary and occasional food writer for Patch.