Hanukah Recipes
Nothing unites us more than food; add these Hanukah-approved recipes to your holiday repertoire!
During Hanukah, we may disagree on what to put on our latkes — will we ever settle the debate? Sour cream? Applesauce? Both? — but one thing we can all agree on: gathering together to share a good nosh with our loved ones is one of the greatest gift of the holiday.
With eight nights of celebration, and therefore, eight nights-worth of delicious food, it's handy to have a couple of extra recipes up your sleeve. Take a look at some of the TI family-tested recipes listed below! Who knows, you may discover a new family favorite of your own.
Chag Hanukah Sameach!
APPLESAUCE | BRISKET | CHALLAH | JELLY DONUTS | LATKES | NOODLE KUGEL
Quick Homemade Applesauce
*from the kitchen Claire Lazaroff
INGREDIENTS:
6 large apples
fresh lemon juice
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of cinnamon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS:
Core & peel apples. Rub them with lemon juice so they don’t turn brown. Place apples in an oven-safe baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the microwave and cook on HIGH for about 9 mins. Let dish sit for 5 mins. Spoon apples into food processor and blend apples until smooth. Scrape into microwave-safe bowl and add remaining ingredients; stir well. Place bowl in microwave again and cook on HIGH for another 2 mins. Allow applesauce to cool before serving. Makes about 3 cups. Enjoy!
Brisket with Carrot & Prune Tzimmes
*from the kitchen of Ruth Ann Rubin
INGREDIENTS:
½ tsp. pepper ½ lb. or more prunes
3 tsp. salt 4 or more tbsp. honey or brown sugar
1 beef brisket (5 lbs)
2 onions, chopped
3 cups boiling water
2 tbsp. flour
8 carrots
4 sweet potatoes
4 white potatoes
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375. Mix pepper and 2 tsp. of salt together and rub over entier surface of the meat. Place meat in a heavy pot of Dutch oven. Toss in chopped onions and brown slowly over low heat. Remove meat and stir flour into meat drippings; add hot water slowly, making sure gravy is smooth. Let it bubble, stirring constantly. Place meat back into pot, cover, and cook for 1 hour on stove top. While meat cooks, peel and quarter carrots and potatoes; soak prunes. Add vegetables, prunes, honey, and remaining salt to the meat. Place in oven and cook for 1 ½ hours, or until meat is tender. Add more honey and sugar according to taste. Enjoy!
Challah
*from the kitchen of Carol Rubin
INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp. sugar Poppy or Sesame seeds
½ cup warm water 1 egg yolk, beaten
1 pkg. yeast 1 tsp. water
½ cup oil
½ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3 ¾ - 4 cups flour
DIRECTIONS:
Dissolve sugar in ½ cup warm water in large mixing bowl that has been rinsed with hot water. Sprinkle yeast on top of water and let stand for 10 mins. Add oil and additional ½ cup of warm water, sugar, salt, eggs, and half of the flour. Mix well. Then stir in remaining flour. Dough should be sticky. Cover dough and let rest for 10 mins. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 mins, adding extra flour as needed. Round up in a greased bowl. Cover again and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (and 1 ½ - 2 hours). Punch down, cover, and let rise again until doubled, about 45 mins. Divide dough into three equal parts and shape into strands. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and braid loosely. Pinch ends to fasten securely. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise once more until doubled in size. Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with seeds (optional). Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 mins, until golden brown. Enjoy!
Jelly Donuts
*from the kitchen of the Temple Israel Sisterhood Cookbook, 1974
INGREDIENTS:
4 ½ cups flour Jelly (flavor of choice)
1 tsp. baking powder Powdered sugar
1 ¼ cups sugar ¼ cup oil
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup fruit juice
2 eggs
DIRECTIONS:
Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat eggs and combine with oil and fruit juice. Stir until smooth. Add to the flour mixture and make a soft dough. Form into flat cakes. Place ½ tsp. of jelly into center and roll dough to cover, forming a ball. Drop into hot oil (about 380 degrees) and cook 4-5 minutes until brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Latkes
*from the kitchen of Jerry Thomeczek
INGREDIENTS:
Russet Potatoes
White/Yellow Onions – 1 for every two potatoes
Eggs – 1 for every potato, lightly beaten
Flour or Matzah Meal – about ¼ cup per potato
Baking Powder – about ½ teaspoon per potato (optional, but makes them crispier)
Garlic powder, salt, pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil
*2 large potatoes makes about 25 latkes, depending on desired size & thickness
DIRECTIONS:
Using the grater attachment on a food processor, shred the potatoes and onions. Do a half of a potato at a time, followed by a quarter of an onion to ensure you have an even mixture. Using cheesecloth or paper towel, squeeze out as much liquid as you can. When you think you’ve gotten it all out, dump it into a bowl. Then use the cheesecloth to squeeze it again. Add the eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper if you’re using it; mix. Form into patties (the size, shape, and thickness are at your discretion). If you like really crispy latkes, you want them to be thinner. If you like the plumper latkes, thicker is better.
Heat a layer of oil in a wide, flat pan over medium high heat. The oil should go up about halfway on your latke. Add a small piece of latke to the oil, when it starts sizzling, your oil should be ready. Add the latkes to the oil. I like to use a slotted spatula to do this to avoid splashes/burns. Also, I recommend having your stove’s exhaust turned on. Fry the latkes for about 5 minutes a side or until golden brown and crispy. Fry in batches and try not to overcrowd the pan – it cools the oil and leads to the latkes getting oily. You may need to filter or swap the oil depending on how many latkes you’re making. Meanwhile, set up a cooling station. I use wire racks over newspaper over paper towels to try to avoid oil getting everywhere. When the latkes are done, let cool on the rack. As desired, now is a great time to add a little flaky salt (or any salt, really).
Serve with sour cream, apple sauce, or whatever other toppings you like. Enjoy!
Sweet Noodle Kugel
*from the kitchen of Jody Katz Chassin
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. wide noodles
3 eggs, separated
½ pint sour cream
1 lb. cottage cheese
½ cup milk
½ cup sugar
¼ lb. butter
¾ cup brown sugar
Cinnamon to taste
Walnuts or raisins for topping (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Boil noodles until tender, and drain. Beat egg yolks and white separately. To the yolks, add the sour cream, cottage cheese, milk, and sugar; mix well. Stir yolk mixture into the drained noodles, then fold the eggs whites into the mixture. Melt the butter in an 8x16 or 9x14 in. pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon to taste. Top with walnuts or raisins. Bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!
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