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A Quick Hanukkah Meal at Rebecca�s House |
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Written by Story by Nancy Horn with assistance by Megan Gilman Photos by Peter Spain
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Monday, 03 November 2008 |
We drove up to the Old Southwest apartment of Rebecca Wikler to find all the fixings for a Hanukkah-themed dinner, to celebrate the Festival of Lights. We quickly assembled the essential ingredients for a Jewish meal, and wanted to share a bit of background with you on why these dishes are traditional (or in this case, traDISHional!).
According to Wikipedia, potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah, especially among Ashkenazi families. There is a custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil), as the original miracle of the Hanukkah menorah involved the discovery of the small flask of oil used by the Jewish High Priest, the Kohen Gadol. This small batch of olive oil was only supposed to last one day, and instead it lasted eight. Many Sephardic families as well as Polish Ashkenazim and Israelis have the custom of eating all kinds of fruit-filled doughnuts (Yiddish: pontshkes), (bimuelos, or sufganiyot) which are deep-fried in oil, and of course all Kosher foods.
Although we did not make dessert, I am including a recipe for some yummy Blueberry Blintzes! J
Nancy Horn opened DISH Café & Catering in 2002. Megan Gilman has been spicing up the DISH for three years.
Herbed Chicken in Mushroom Wine Sauce
(Make as much or as little as you need)
• boneless skinless chicken breasts
• sliced Cremini Mushrooms
• white wine
• fresh and dried herbs (we used fresh basil and dried oregano)
• butter
• olive oil
• fresh garlic, peeled and minced
• sliced green onions
1. Place the chicken breast, one per guest, into a glass baking dish (you will reuse this dish). 2. Cover with olive oil, all herbs, and season with salt and pepper. 3. Use your hands and rub the marinade and seasonings into the chicken. Let rest about 10 minutes on the counter. 4. Set the oven to 425˚F and set a pan over medium-high heat.
5. Add some olive oil and butter to the pan, enough to cover the bottom.
6. Brown the chicken breasts, about 5 minutes per side. 7. Remove chicken from the pan and add back to the glass dish and bake in the oven about 7-10 minutes, until the breasts are cooked through and reach 160˚F internally. 8. Meanwhile, in the same pan you used for the chicken, sauté over medium-high heat the garlic and mushrooms until soft and starting to brown. 9. Add some wine, just enough to make a sauce for the chicken. 10. Lower the heat to simmer and reduce the sauce a bit. 11. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. 12. When the chicken is done, return the breasts to the pan and coat with the sauce. Keep warm until serving.
Good Green Salad
• 1 bag spring mix
• 1 cup Craisins
• 1 cup toasted pine nuts (if these are raw, toast in a dry pan until browned)
• 1 cup shaved parmesan
Dressing
• rice wine vinegar
• olive oil
• salt
• fresh black pepper
1. Place all ingredients in the salad bowl, and wait to dress it until you are about to sit down. 2. To dress, simply pour rice vinegar, about 2 tablespoons, over the salad. 3. Add about 4 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Toss the salad well to dress all of the goodies evenly. Serve right away!
Potato Latkes
(1 envelope makes about 10 pancakes)
• boxed potato pancake mix
• water
• egg
• frozen hash browns
• canola or olive oil
• sour cream
• chives
1. Mix 1 or 2 envelopes (depends on how many you need) of potato pancake mix with water and an egg, according to the directions on the box. 2. Add 2 cups of frozen potatoes per envelope. 3. Mix well to incorporate. 4. Season with a little extra salt if you like. 5. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, and add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (about 1 ½ cups). 6. Drop the mix by tablespoon-full into the pan, and fry until well-browned on each side. 7. Remove to a paper towel-covered platter and keep warm in the oven. 8. Serve topped with sour cream and snipped chives.
Appley Applesauce
(makes as much as you need)
• applesauce
• apple butter
1. In a small bowl, mix equal amounts of applesauce and apple butter. Serve as a dessert or alongside the latkes.
Blueberry Blintzes (not pictured)
(makes 12 blintzes)
• crêpes
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 6 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
1. Mix all but the butter in a blender, then add the melted butter. Let the batter sit for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge. Re-blend just before using. 2. Set a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. 3. Drop batter by ¼ cup at a time. Swirl the batter to cover the pan with a thin coating. 4. When the bottom is brown, carefully flip. Brown the other side and remove to cool on a wire rack. 5. At this point you can freeze the 12 crepes, separated by wax paper and sealed in a freezer bag. Defrost at room temperature.
Cheese Filling
• 1 ½ cups ricotta
• ½ cup large-curd cottage cheese (use the full fat kind)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• pinch salt
1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Stash in the fridge the day before if you need to save time. 2. Place about 2 tablespoons in the middle of each crepe, and fold the top, bottom, and sides to make a little pouch. You can do this the day before and stash in the fridge.
Blueberry Sauce
• 1 package frozen blueberries (I like the Maine kind)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1. Place the berries, sugar, and cornstarch in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil about 4-5 minutes until sauce starts to thicken.
2. Cool and store the day before.
To Assemble
• butter
• powdered sugar
1. Heat the blueberry sauce over medium-low heat. 2. Bring the stuffed blintzes to room temperature. 3. Heat a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. 4. Fry the blintzes 3 or 4 at a time, browning on each side.
5. Serve with a dollop of blueberry sauce and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Also tastes good with sour cream and blueberry sauce together. Eat right away! |
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