Sunday, November 28, 2021

Happy Thanksgivingkah

HALLIE EPHRON: Each year Hanukah floats around on the calendar like a bird that's hit turbulent weather, and this year it lands practically on top of Thanksgiving. Tonight, in fact.

My family were proudly Jewish, but equally not religious. So I grew up with the Santa Claus and Rudolph and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas... but none of the liturgy; and not the faintest idea what Hanukah was all about (except that my Jewish friends had Christmas trees with blue and silver ornaments and lights... yes, it was a thing, we called it their Hanukah bush)... until I married my husband.

A good Brooklyn boy, Jerry had been bar mitzvahed, and no way were we going to hang a wreath on our door, even if it sported blue and silver spangles.

His mother gave us a menorah and I lit the candles and learned the story the Jews' victory over a tyrant king and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. As the tale goes, a miraculously single-day supply of oil lit Temple's menorah for eight days.

And so tonight I'll light the first candle and remember. Tomorrow two candles, and so on for eight days. It's a small holiday, in the scheme of things. Traditionally no big gift exchange. The children  get Hanukah gelt -- chocolate coins -- and gamble spinning a dreidl.

Sadly Judaism has no full-out, over-the-top gift-giving bash to rival Christmas. But I love Hanukah for its quietness. There's something magical about lighting the candles and watching them burn down.

What I did learn about Judaism growing up was about food. Bagels and lox. Smoked fish. Rye bread and pastrami. Matzo ball soup. At Hanukah it's potato pancakes (latkes) fried in oil. Telling the story, lightning the candles, singing the prayer, eating the latkes, and watching the candles burn down.

Here's my #1 grandgirl watching the first candle burn, the first year she celebrated Hanukah. Her dad (not Jewish but a big fan of potato pancakes) made the menorah.


And here's my mother's recipe for potato latkes. They are truly fabulous and you don't have to be even a little bit Jewish to appreciate them.

The simplest ever potato pancakes
Serves 4

2 large unpeeled potatoes (Russets work well)
1 egg
Flour
Cooking oil (vegetable or peanut oil; not olive oil)

Caution – once you start preparing, don’t stop until all the potatoes are cooked. Grated potatoes left to stand will turn dark and yucky looking. They are best eaten right away.

1. Grate 2 LARGE (washed but you don’t have to peel them) russet potatoes (or 4 medium ones). I use the large holes on the grater - you get crisper pancakes if you use a hand grater instead of a food processor.
2. Dump the grated potatoes into a clean linen dish towel; over the sink, wring out as much liquid as you can. Squeeze, and squeeze again!
3. Dump the wrung-out potatoes into a mixing bowl; add an egg and a scant handful of flour. Mix.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan until a bit of potato sizzles when it hits the oil.
5. Ladel in one-tablespoon size pancakes into the hot oil. Flatten and cook until golden brown and crisp on one side, then turn and cook until golden brown and crisp on the other.
6. Drain cooked potato pancakes on paper towel. If they don't get scarfed up immediately, put them on a cookie rack in a warm oven until ready to serve.
7. Cook batches until all are cooked.
8. Serve with salt and your choice of apple sauce or sour cream.

DO NOT stop midway through this recipe. Uncooked potatoes left resting too long turn black and yucky looking. The children in your house will not eat them.

92 comments:

  1. Yum! I'm definitely trying these . . . thanks for sharing your mom's recipe. [And what an adorable picture of your precious grandgirl . . . .]

    Happy Hanukah.

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    1. Thanks, Joan - We'll be lighting two candles tonight.

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  2. Happy Hanukkah Hallie. I wish I were close enough to for one of those latkes. With sour cream please. There are eight synagogues in Rochester and I live within walking distance of all but one. It’s is lovely to see families walking to shul— mother, father, and the brood. It gives peace to a Friday evening.

    I moved to California in the eighties, Long Beach, and that was the first time since I was born — st Louis, Jewish Hospital — that I was immersed in the tribe.

    I learned that your history is mine too, something Christians seem to forget. After all :
    Roses are reddish,
    Violets are bluish,
    If it were for Christmas,
    We’d all be Jewish!

    Mazel tov and much love

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    1. Thanks for LIGHTening my day! We have lots of Jewish friends in Long Beach. Where I live now we're surrounded by Christmas lights and windows lit up with trees.

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  3. Happy Hanukkah, Hallie and others who celebrate!
    I also wish I was close enough to enjoy eating those latkes, too but thanks for sharing your mom's latke recipe.

    I grew up in a Jewish neighbourhood in north Toronto (Willowdale). So what I knew about Hanukkah also mostly revolved around food. We had several good delis where you could buy bagels and lox, and latkes, as well as corned beef (not pastrami in Toronto) sandwiches on rye. I also often passed by North York City Centre where the giant menorah and large Christmas tree were located.

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    1. Mmmm corned beef on rye. You canNOT get a descent version of either one of those within 10 miles of me.

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    3. HALLIE: I feel your pain. When I asked for corned beef in Ottawa, I got a blank look.
      Most Ottawa delis do NOT sell corned beef or pastrami.
      Ottawa is about a 2-hour drive from Montreal, so smoked meat is the only thing they serve.
      Smoked meat is tasty but not what I am craving...

      BTW, I really do hope I can get a new prescription for reading glasses sometime this year since our optometrists have ceased their 2-month job action. Maybe then, I won't make so many typos on my posts!

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    4. Optometrists on strike?! Yikes. (I get my reading glasses at Marshalls in 6-packs... after cataract surgery my distance vision is ok.)

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    5. YES, the Ontario government pays for eye exams for seniors and children but has short-changed the optometrists for decades. An average eye exam costs $90 and they only get $38 payment from the government so they decided to withhold optometrist services since Sept 1.

      Unfortunately I can't use drug-store reading glasses since I still have different vision in both eyes post cataract surgery, so I really need a new prescription for reading glasses. You can imagine there is a backlog of 3-months of cancelled appointments to get through before I can see my optometrist. SIGH

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  4. Happy Hanukah to those who celebrate.

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  5. Happy Hanukkah, Hallie, and others here who celebrate! My daughter-in-law is Jewish, and they've been here several times when Hanukkah overlapped Thanksgiving or Christmas. I loved watching her light the candles and sing the prayer, and then all of us watching the candles burn down. Yes, it's quiet and beautiful.

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    1. Yes, a very nice pool of quiet and reflection in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

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  6. Happy Hanukah! (There sure are a lot of ways to spell that holiday!) I loved the way you described it as magical. But what a conflict for a kid to see the Christmas trees and presents and lights all around...

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    1. We tried to make up for it giving a gift a night for 8 nights... starting with small (ponytail holders) and ending with a flourish (Bride Barbie), and opening all the gifts that came from my side of the family on Christmas morning. And we had generous fiends where we went for Xmas dinner. So we got a bit of both. We made it work... though I'm not sure what my girls would say.

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    2. Roberta, you hit it! We always drove from our small town to Manhattan on the Merritt Parkway. We could see all the houses and trees decorated with colored Christmas lights along the way and would point them out as we zoomed by. It was magical and a bit mysterious, too. A tradition expressed in beauty, but not ours.

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    3. I was the only Jewish kid at my grade and high school—so it was very weird. I suppose it was character-building.

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    4. My kids were the only jewish kids in their classes through grade and high school, too - no one had ever seen a menorah. I do not think overall it was a great experience.

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    5. I grew up on Long Island. In one of my high school classes in the '80s, a social studies teacher asked what percentage of the US is Jewish. Trying to see what the students knew, I guess. And one kid raised his hand (a not Jewish kid) and said 97%? Your perspective is so affected by your environment. Happy Hanukkah!

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    6. HA HA HA HA! Only on Long Island (or as we call it, the Guyland) - It was about that percentage where I grew up i the 50s in Beverly Hills. Where I am now, more like barely 1% if that.

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    7. Hallie & Barb: Made me laugh! This lil Southern gal,originally from NOLA, moved to Lon-"Guyland" in the middle of 5th grade. Culture shock all the way, but I was happy to make new friends and learn their traditions!

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  7. You’ve made me think this morning, Hallie, about Christmases past. It is the traditions my mother and her mother practiced: no decorations before Christmas Eve, Santa bringing the tree, Advent Calendars opened in a daily ritual, the decorations coming down on January 6,
    that are in my heart and my visions of Christmas. Thank you. Bless the latkes and Happy Hanukkah.

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    1. What lovely traditions! In my home growing up, our tradition was to go out tree shopping the night before Xmas eve, decorate Xmas eve, and wake up to the tree lit up and surrounded by gifts. It was the best day of the year, to my eyes.

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    3. Elisabeth,

      Those were our traditions, too. There’s a certain kind of peace that comes with observing traditions,

      DebRo

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  8. Happy Hanukkah, Hallie and all who celebrate.

    And count me in on wanting to share in your latkes. Yum! But, please, could I have BOTH sour cream and apple sauce with mine? It's my favourite way to eat them at the local deli.

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  9. You most certainly can (you and my son-in-law) ... with my blessings ;-)

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  10. Any recipe from Hallie is a holiday in and of itself. Thank you, and Happy Hanukkah!

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  11. Thanks for sharing your Hanukah story with us and your recipe for latkes. Parts of your story are very similar to mine and so is your latke recipe!

    My mother, a New Yorker who was already 4th. generation on her father's side and 2nd. generation on her mother's, was proudly Jewish but not steeped in Jewish traditions nor affiliated with a synagogue. We spent every Christmas vacation in NYC with Grandma and there we hung stockings that were filled with nuts and oranges, and opened presents on Christmas morning.

    But my father's family was observant and we grew up just steps from their house. We went to Hebrew School and observed all the holidays. We always lit Hanukah candles, got some presents, played dreidel with my father and ate the chocolate coins from the gold foil. Latkes were consumed although I do not know the recipes that were used back then. I do know that there was salt in the batter, and pepper.

    Happy Hanukah to you, Hallie and to all who celebrate. I always grate my potatoes by hand on the large holes! XXOO

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    1. I'm imagining you as a little girl, Judy, being allowed to sprinkle on salt and pepper. Yes the large holes make the best potato pancakes. And Christmas in NYC is a magical place to be -- still remembering the Lord and Taylor Christmas windows. The Rockefeller Center skating rink. Going to see the Rockettes christmas show.

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    2. My Grandma always took me to see the Rockettes. Such a super memory. And the streets were all decorated with garlands around the lampposts and dangling across the roads.

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  12. Happy Hanukkah! Thank you so much for the latke recipe - I can't wait to make and eat them!

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    1. Just be sure to SQUEEZE... if you don't they come out soggy.

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  13. Happy Hannukah, Hallie, Hank, and anyone else who celebrates.

    In the mid-1970s I worked as a dress buyer for a small chain of stores, which meant I "had" to go to NYC every five or six weeks on buying trips. The best part was that potato pancakes, matzoh ball soup, borscht, and other yummy dishes are their best selves in New York, and I had many opportunities to sample them all.

    Hallie, thanks for the recipe. I must make these sometime soon.

    Ann is right about Christmas changing everything! Good way to put it. I've been to one Hannukah dinner, and it was lovely, and followed by a Christmas gift exchange. Here's to inclusion!

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    1. Karen, wondering where you ate Jewish in NY? MIdtown or lower east side or Brooklyn??

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    2. It was all midtown, because that's where the garment district was, from Madison Square Gardens up to 40th Street. We had breakfasts and lunches on 7th Avenue in little hole-in-the-wall diners (bagel with a schmeer), and often went to Carnegie Deli for massive pastrami sandwiches and New York-style cheesecake.

      We stayed at the Stadler Hilton, which was across the street from the Gardens, until we had mice in our rooms, then we switched to staying at the Park Sheraton, up near Carnegie Hall. Our buying office was at 34th and 7th. I got pretty familiar with several of the little delis along there, but gee, that was over 45 years ago. I'm sure most of them are long forgotten, including by me.

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    3. I worked for a Jewish family, and most of the garment industry was run by Jewish owners, as well. My bosses were adorable, always introducing me to new foods. And I learned a critical skill, apparently: how to butter a matzoh without breaking it.

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    4. My grandfather was "in the garment business"! And for awhile my daughter worked right in that neighborhood. And my agent is at 42nd and Broadway which is practically right there. You used to be able to get a decent corned beef on rye at Penn Station while waiting for amtrak - now the departure gates are across the street at the MAGNIFICENT Moynihan Train Hall but the food offerings there are pitiful. When Starbucks and CVS tops the list for snacks, you know you're in trouble.

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    5. How disappointing! NYC used to be such a melting pot for foodies.

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    6. Awww, can't find a good corned beef on rye in NYC midtown? Times-are-a-changing, and not for the better!

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  14. This is so interesting—no onions! This sounds delish—I love latkes but when you use onions , the house smells horrible for days. This is genius!
    I grew up the same way—we celebrated everything, and griped about the size of Chanukah presents—sometimes we got GUM. Gum! We were appalled.
    (We will light the candles too, tonight—and be thinking of you both.)
    Xxx

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    1. Yes, we started the kids with barettes and got the same scowls.

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    2. GUM was a special present? Who knew!

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  15. Happy Hanukkah! I’m planning to eat lots of latkes. When my children were small we lived in NJ, the only Jewish family members. So at some point between Thanksgiving and February we had a Hanumas celebration at someone’s house. They gave my kids presents wrapped in Hanukkah paper, we gave their kids presents wrapped in Christmas paper. Everyone ate latkes and gelt and played dreidel. My girls helped friends decorate their trees. My cousin’s family moved away when their son was about 8, years later when I was visiting his family he told me of his memories of latkes and dreidel. So I made him latkes.

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  16. Happy Hanukkah! Your latkes sound marvelous. Now, I'm hungry.

    Growing up my neighbors on both sides were Jewish and we shared the holidays. They put up Hanukkah bushes, we put up a Christmas tree, they lit the candles nightly, we joined in and spun the dreidel for gelt, one of our neighbors was a ham operator, he made sure we all spoke to Santa the week before Christmas to get our lists in. Our tree was the focal point for Santa's delivery and everyone came to Christmas dinner. December was a full month - and one filled with celebration!

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    1. LOVE the idea of a ham radio guy tuned into Santa... What a graet idea for a mystery novel where the ham operator is tuning in Santa but gets... what? A crime in progress? A crime being planned? Two people obviously talking in code that he puts together when he sees the headlines the next morning??

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    2. Oh, I love how you think, Hallie!

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  17. Happy Hanukkah, Hallie! I’m a big fan of latkes. But as for Jewish kids only getting gelt… our Jewish neighbor’s son used to come round every day saying “ hey Dominic, guess what I got for the first day of Hannukah? A large gift. By the end of the week Dominic couldn’t wait for Christmas to get his own back. On Christmas morning neighbor’s son appeared. “ Hey Dominic, guess what I got for Christmas “. Dominic was ready to convert! Rhys ( who’s iPhone still won’t switch from jungle Red Writers

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    1. A *TRUE* Hanukah miracle!! For gift giving, Christmas beats Hanukah hands down. But then, it wasn't originally about gifts. Jewish New Year (Yom Kippur) is about atonement, not getting drunk and celebrating. Jews definitely get to have much less fun.

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    2. Rhys, what a hilarious story. Poor Dominic. I bet he was ready to convert.

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  18. Hallie, happy Hanukah to you and yours and all here who celebrate. I love the quietness of the celebration. Introvert here in a big NOISY family--Christmas was often overwhelming--I may light a few candles myself to enjoy some peace. And I have cause for celebration--one out of two nephews is now vaccinated!!

    p.s. I make hash browns much the same way as your latkes--wash, grate on the big holes, squeeze out excess liquid in a towel, fry immediately. But the latkes look so fabulous--may I have mine with a little sour cream and applesauce on the side?

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    1. Sounds exactly the same! There's also Potatoes Anna - a french recipe that begins with paper-think *slices* of potatoes, layered in a cast iron frying pan butter and S&P the layers, and bake in a hot oven until crisp. Potatoes are little culinary miracles.

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    2. My kids freak out when I use a mandolin to thin-slice potatoes... random thought. But it's the only way for me to get them really thin.

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    3. Hallie, I totally get it. I'm terrified of the mandolin!

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    4. I have a gorgeous pan for potatoes Anna--SO great. And works for sweet potatoes too. But yikes, the mandolin is scary. But it really works perfectly.

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    5. We used our mandoline twice after we got it - and it's been in the back of a cabinet ever since! Too scary.

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    6. I think the manufacturers are designing safer mandolins. Mine has a safe guard so you don't fear losing any skin/fingers!

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    7. Pampered Chef's mandolin has a great safety feature, with a "pusher" part that protects fingers. It still allows for the entire vegetable to get sliced, too.

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  19. For most of the Jewish families I've known over the years (and that is quite a few), Hanukah is a Jewish "Christmas" extravaganza with gifts every night. They make the Christians children jealous.

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    1. It's a shame to make it into a competition but that is human nature. For us, one night was books, one night was for charitable donations, another night was a board game, one night was winter clothing, a couple nights of small gifts, then one night was the present most desired. We'd go shopping for presents to donate to Toys for Tots or the local radio station's toy drive. We tried to strike a balance because- ya' know, raising kids to be thoughtful adults.

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    2. What a thoughtful way to approach it! Kudoes to the parents.

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    3. JUDY: Your parents struck the right balance between being thoughtful and thinking of others and giving/receiving some gifts within the family.

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  20. Thank you for the recipe, Hallie, and for sharing your relationship to the holiday. Quiet holidays are now my favorites.

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  21. Happy Chanukah! Hope you are getting to spend some of it with your children and grandchildren.

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  22. Those latkes sound delicious! I grew up in Houston where there was a large Jewish population. As kids, we never talked about our religions. It just didn't come up. In high school I didn't know who was what until a Jewish holiday came up and easily a third of the school was absent. It made me wonder about elementary school where our teachers celebrated Christmas and no mention was ever made of Hanukah. I hoped there were no hurt feelings.
    Anyway, Christians are meant to observe Advent quietly, in reflection, instead of going crazy shopping for Christmas presents. One candle is lit every Sunday beginning four weeks before
    Christmas.

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    1. Pat, I lived in Houston for a little over a year. Loved it, before all the traffic
      became insane! That's where I first met my soon-to-be husband,when his dad was
      also temporarily transferred there, but otherwise he was born and raised in Dallas.
      My best friend there was Jewish,reformed and not very religious, like me,a once-Catholic school kid. My still-BFF since jr. year in a Dallas high school's dad was also Jewish. People don't seem to realize how many Jews live in Texas. Hello!
      Hasn't anyone heard of Neiman-Marcus? Hallie, I can't speak for Pat, but I love "potato pancakes" aka latkes! (But,what, no schmaltz? LOL)

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  23. Happy Hanukah, Hallie, and to all who celebrate! (Is there a preferred spelling?) Thank you for this lovely post. My childhood in rural then suburban Texas was sadly lacking in Jewish influences. Dallas had a strong Jewish community but it didn't quite reach out to us. But I love the idea of the quiet observance. The quiet parts of Christmas have always been my favorites.

    I've never made latkes but I'm now inspired! I trust your instructions on these as I'm a big fan of your zucchini pancakes!

    PS Why do you not use olive oil?

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    1. I never 'fry' in olive oil - vegetable oil fries hotter (and peanut oil even hotter) which is what you need, and doesn't add (in my opinion) an extra layer of taste which olive oil does (fine in a lasagne, not in a latke). Also olive oil is pricier and if you do it right, very little oil actually ends up IN the pancakes.

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    2. Olive oil makes the latkes taste different. I use corn oil or another very mild oil. You could try olive oil, Debs, and report back.

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    3. Olive oil has a lower flash point than other oils, too. It does not do well with high temperatures.

      I've been using avocado oil for higher temp frying, and it seems to work well, too.

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    4. No to olive oil for frying due to lower smoke point, affects taste of food.
      I have been using grapeseed oil for deep frying. High smoke point, cheaper than avocado oil, and healthier than veg or peanut oil.
      P.S. I had to do a bit of research on this since another "new" food allergy I now have is to poor-quality cooking oils or any processed goods made from these "bad" oils (e.g. cookies, baked goods, tortillas).

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    5. OMG, Grace, no end to allergies! I am lucky that mine is just to honey, but restaurants still mess that up all the time! I bet you have some "stories," I sure do!

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  24. Happy Hanukah to all who celebrate! I’m not Jewish but a number of my relatives are. I’m thinking of making your mom’s latkes, Hallie, for our family holiday celebration this year. We can’t all get together on Christmas this year so we’re getting together a couple of weeks from now, right after Hanukah ends. It would be a nice surprise for the Jewish relatives. You said to eat them right away. Do the latkes freeze and reheat well, or would you recommend that I make them the same day?

    DebRo

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    1. I've never done that and I would guess NO... which is why they're not great for a big gathering unless you (the cook) want to spend an hour in the kitchen while company is there. It's so NOT a do-ahead. I've made it at a party where I scooped potatoes out of the pan, onto paper toweling, and onto a counter and guests snacked on them immediately ... a sort of before dinner snack and eating the pancakes when they are at their absolute best, just drained and still hot from cooking.

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    2. I have reheated crispy latkes with some success, but they are never as wonderful as straight out of the frying pan. However, if you want to try a batch at home first to see if it works for you, then do the whole thing including frying and draining on paper towels. Then pack them loosely into plastic containers. Reheat on a cookie sheet in a single layer in a 350 degree oven for about 12 - 15 minutes. It is almost as good as the first day. Because the two of us almost always have some left, this has been tried and true chez nous.

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    3. Thanks, Hallie, and Judy.

      DebRo

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    4. Good reheating tip, Judy, thanks.
      As a solo eater, I will always have some leftovers but will try your method.

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  25. Happy Hanukah to you and your family, Hallie! And, to all here who celebrate, a Happy Hanukah to you, too. Hallie, the stillness of the celebration does sound appealing. Do your children or grandchildren celebrate only Hanukah, or is Christmas a part of their holiday events, too? I'm thinking of Rhys' story above about their neighbor boy.

    I love potatoes, so I know I'd love the latkes. Your recipe and the picture speak pure yumminess. I've not had them before. The closest I've gotten is potato pancakes made from leftover mash potatoes. My father used to fix those.

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    1. Mashed potato pancakes: sounds yummy. I've also made pancakes from leftover risotto. And, as Debs remembers, zucchini. My kids celebrate Hanukah and Christmas but neither one in an over-the-top way. Just fun and good food and maybe the one thing you were hoping Santa would bring you.

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  26. Thinking of my exposure to Judaism growing up. There was one (as far as I know) Jewish kid in my class in a suburb of Los Angeles (Temple City), and I had a good friend from girl scout camp who lived a couple of towns away. I went to her Bat Mitzvah.

    But I read the All-of-a-Kind-Family books by Sydney Taylor several times through. The series is about a Jewish family with five daughters in NYC on the Lower East Side starting in 1912. I learned all about the holidays from those books! Did anyone else read them? Lovely stories.

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    1. Don't reread A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN - it feels pretty anti-semitic now.

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    2. I did. Fond memories and I have copies still. There were not may Jewish children in the books I read - maybe none -so this discovery that told about events and poepl I could recognize was special. I was old enough to understand this was (sort of) my beloved grandmother's childhood.

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    3. That's very cool, Triss.

      Hallie, I never read Tree Grows in Brooklyn the first time!

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  27. I'm making the fruit filling for the pear/apple/cranberry tart I try to make every Thanksgiving. I never could get the healthy crust correct, so I use puff pastry to make little hand pies. I can use the leftover filling with latkes tonight, when I light my Advent wreath's first candle. I'm mixing up all the religious holidays today.

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