Sweet Potato Latkes #8daysThanksgivukkah

Potatoes and sweet potatoes are as quintessential to Thanksgiving as the actual turkey…at least in my family. My mother’s family is about as Pennsylvania Dutch as you can get without being Amish so we always have sweet potato casserole and enough potato filling to feed the greater area.

What’s potato filling? It’s a mix between bread stuffing and mashed potatoes. It’s an acquired taste to say the least. You either love it or hate it. My sister hates it. But it is always at the table to the point where regular potatoes are not always present beside it. We forget it sometimes.

The potato is one of the most notable things Thanksgiving and Hanukkah have in common; at least for American Jews. I won’t get into the long history of latkes are their significance to the story of Hanukkah. But basically the potatoes act simply as a vehicle for the most important part of the story—the oil. Hanukkah is all about the oil lasting for 8 days. Some people are surprisingly unaware of the story of Hanukkah, if so, here you go. For the rest of us, we know the oil used to fry everything from potatoes to doughnuts on Hanukkah is the way oil is incorporated into the holiday through the most tangible way possible—by eating it.

The recipe I’m working from calls for canola oil for good reason. I chose to mix canola and olive oils because I wanted the rich flavor of the olive oil, without using so much of it. Not only is olive oil exponentially more expensive, canola oil fries better and holds up under high heat unlike olive oil. But since olive oil is a lot easier to come by these days than historically before, we add a little to the mix for flavor and tradition.

Just get ready to use your range’s exhaust fan and maybe open a window or too. And don’t wear a nice shirt while cooking them just in case.

I knew I wanted to make sweet potato latkes ever since I came up with the idea for this series. Originally I wanted to make a sweet version instead of the regular savory, in homage to the sweet potato casserole I know so well. But after experimenting with a recipe that included maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc., I found that I like the savory much better. For some reason, the sweet just tasted flat and didn’t come through the way I wanted it to balancing out the potatoes. It just tasted starchy; maybe it was the sugar.

So instead of reinventing the wheel I decided to give the savory version a go. I discovered a perfectly perfect recipe from The New Jewish Table by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray, owners of D.C.’s Equinox restaurant. The book is organized by season and then Dairy or Parve classifications. I found a lot that I liked from it and it included recipes from all over, not just the traditional Jewish Diaspora. Their Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato latkes are just simply delicious. I barely made any changes for my own tastes. But my is definitely for the home cook so while I would love to tap them with crème fraiche, grated horseradish and salmon caviar here in West Texas, I’m going with some creamy Greek yogurt instead.

Overall, these latkes are delicious. I would make them year round, not just for Hanukkah or Thanksgivukkah. But hey, that makes them even better for the holiday(s) in my book.

Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Latkes

(Slightly adapted from The New Jewish Table

 by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray)

Makes 6 5-inch latkes

Ingredients:

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (brown much nicer than russets and don't turn gray)

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 medium yellow onion

1 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup matzo meal or breadcrumbs

2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 tbsp. Olive oil

Toppings: 2% Fage Greek yogurt, or sour cream

chopped fresh green onions or scallions and/or parsley

For Gluten-Free: Use GF breadcrumbs or GF all-purpose flour

Directions:

Grate the potatoes and sweet potatoes over a box grater or thinly slice then pulse in a food processor working in batches. Squeeze out any liquid with your hands and transfer potatoes to a large bowl.

Grate or finely mince onions, and add to the bowl one with the eggs, matzo meal, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix together with a wooden spoon until ingredients are well blended. If too wet, add a little bit more breadcrumbs or matzo meal.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees to keep latkes warm.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan to high heat and add enough oil (about ¼ cup canola and 2 tbsp. olive oil) to fill the bottom and gets very hot.

Working in batches cooking about 2-3 cakes at a time, shape cakes with your hands making them 5-inch around and ½ inch thick. As each cake is formed, add to the pan.

Lower heat to medium, making sure oil is surrounding each cake. Cook each one for about 4 minutes on each side (try not to move them). You want each side to be golden brown and sturdy, much like cooking an egg; you’ll know when to flip it.

Once sturdy and golden brown, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Once oil is drained, transfer latkes to an oven-safe serving plate and keep warm in the oven.

Repeat with remaining oil until all latkes are cooked are ready to serve.

Top with Greek yogurt and green onions, sour cream, applesauce, or hey marshmallows and maple syrup if that’s your style.

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for my very own mashed potato latkes coming next week! A family favorite!

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving potato recipe?

Pumpkin Pie Muhallabieh (Israeli Milk Pudding) #6thdaythanksgivukkah

When I started this series I knew I needed to have at least one recipe using pumpkin. Pumpkin has been the en vogue flavor the past few autumns with everything from candles to ravioli to lattes.  With that I knew pumpkin needed a place in these updated Jewish recipes.

I took me awhile to find the perfect fit with pumpkin. But eventually I went back to a somewhat classic interpretation…. with a twist.

I read about Muhallabieh, the classic Israeli milk dessert in none other than Jerusalem: A Cookbook. (I promise I read a lot more books for this series and more to come!) According to the recipe's description, this is a childhood favorite for many and a standard dessert at every restaurant, fancy or not.

For the average person the original recipe might seem a little strange. Crudely described, it is cold milk pudding. But I saw this as an opportunity to turn the panna cotta-like dessert into the perfect platform the pumpkin spice.

This dessert couldn’t be simpler and since it’s “no-bake” it makes it a lot easier to incorporate to your Thanksgiving dinner when oven-real estate is a little crowded. This dessert is also great to make a day or even two days ahead of time, as it needs to set in the fridge at least 3 hours. It’s also the perfect way to give the pumpkin pie flavor to your gluten-free guests.

The only problem you may run into is transporting the individual desserts if you aren’t hosting Thanksgiving yourself. When I was recipe testing I brought these over to a couples dinner and they were easily transported in a box in the back seat of the car.

I love the lightly sweet, spiced flavor of this pumpkin pie recipe. It is a light yet filling dessert. I was so happy when the boys liked it as much as I did. But I wanted to take it one step further. Instead of the traditional syrup, pistachios and dried coconut on top I choose the more seasonally appropriate toppings of fresh nutmeg, chopped walnuts, dried apple rings and homemade crystallized ginger for a little spiciness.

You can easily find dried apple rings or chips in your grocery store, but it is just as easy to make a home along with the crystallized ginger chips. It’s a little harder to find good crystallized ginger everywhere, but a lot easier and fresher tasting than you think to make at home. You can simple pop both in the oven or a toaster-oven while making the pudding or something else; with little fuss.

This recipe is such a fresh, crowd-pleasing twist on the classic pumpkin pie. Even those who don’t like “fancy food” (every family has at least one) will like these. Just tell them its jello….

Pumpkin Spice Muhallabieh 

(Israeli Milk Pudding)

(Adapted to Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi

 and Sami Tamimi)

Makes 4-5 or 6-7 individual desserts

Ingredients:

1 cup and 2 tbsp. Libby’s canned pumpkin puree

2 cups 2% or whole milk

¼ cup water

6 tbsp. cornstarch (Clabber girl’s is a good GF variety)

61/2 tbsp. superfine sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. good-quality cinnamon

½-1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

Optional: ½ tsp. all spice

Toppings:

Cinnamon

Freshly ground nutmeg

½ jonagold or Fuji apple, horizontally sliced into thin rings (7-8 rings)

1-2 tbsp. fresh ginger root, thinly sliced and chopped into small pieces the size of a tic-tac

2-3 tbsp. refined coconut oil or just enough canola oil to coat pieces

2-3 tbsp. sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts

optional: honey for drizzling

You will need:

4-5 dessert cups for larger desserts or 6-7 wine glasses or smaller glass cups for smaller portions.

Note: There are two ways to make this: one with regular canned or pureed plain pumpkin or the pre-spiced and sugared canned “pumpkin pie mix,” both available widely from Libby’s. If you choose regular pumpkin, you may needed to play with the mix of spices, while the pumpkin pie mix will only need 3-4 tbsp. of sugar instead of 6½ tbsp and only half of the spices. It’s up to you which you prefer.

Also, using 2% milk will give you a lighter flavor, while whole milk will make it much creamier and you may want to make divide the mixture into more cups-equally 6-7 instead of 4-5.

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and 61/2 tbsp. of the milk together to make a paste. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, add remaining milk (about 1 ¾ cup) with water, pumpkin puree, and sugar over medium-low heat. Whisk often until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to steam.

Once milk begins steaming, gently whisk in cornstarch mixture. The mixture will thicken quickly. Continue to whisk until mixture begins to boil and resembles a thick custard.

Remove mixture from heat and scoop into glass bowls or wineglasses, gently smoothing out the tops with the back of a spoon. Do this quickly as mixture will begin to congeal and harder to smooth. Cover each pudding with plastic wrap right on the surface of the pudding so a film does not form.

Refrigerate the puddings for at least 3 hours until puddings are set (hardens and no longer jiggles; up to two days before serving.

Once ready to serve, remove plastic. (Optional) drizzle a very small amount of honey on the top of the pudding. Next sprinkle a small amount of cinnamon and fresh nutmeg. Top with chopped walnuts, crystallized ginger pieces. Finally top with crispy apple rings.

Serve with homemade whipped cream or by itself.

For apple rings and crystallized ginger:

Preheat a toaster oven or large oven to 200 degrees F.  In a small bowl, gently coat ginger with 1 tbsp. of sugar and 1 tbsp. of coconut oil. On a lined baking sheet, evenly spread ginger mixture into a single layer on one half of the sheet. Other the other half, place apple rings. On each ring, smear enough coconut oil just to coat and sprinkle with sugar. (sprinkle with cinnamon if you’d like as well) Bake in oven for about 30 minutes-1 hour until golden brown beginning to harden. Once cooled, ginger will crack into small pieces. If apples do not crisp, increase heat to 250 degrees and flip, continuing to cook until golden brown. (This may happen if slices are thicker.) Once cooled apples, will become crispy.

Enjoy!

What’s you favorite pumpkin recipe?

Israeli Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs: #5thdayThanksgivukkah

For me, Thanksgiving is the Turkey. Well...at least the most important part of the meal. It can make or break the best or worst sides and desserts. If the turkey was bad, you're having an extra helping of grandma's potato filling. But if it was good, people in my family will be talking about it for years to come, and bring it up unrelated conversations.

But, it occurred to me that some people celebrate small thanksgivings for one, two, or three people and don’t want to cook a huge turkey. And there are even people who don't like turkey! Zooey Deschanel I'm talking about you.

So for those people, I decided to include a recipe from the fabulous Jerusalem: A Cookbook, which has inspired me a lot throughout my Thanksgivukkah series. When browsing through the “meat recipes” section of this beautiful book, I only saw one turkey recipe: Turkey and Zucchini Burgers/meatballs. These babies are deliciously seasoned with cumin and spices, so they have enough flavor to be the star, but without competing with your impressive side dishes. It is Thanksgiving after all.

Courtesy of annkoffsky.com

This makes sense as Chicken and lamb are much more popular and available in Israel. Chicken recipes are found all over Jewish traditions for good reason. I’m sure many households will either adapt a family recipe for a turkey or just serve a roast chicken instead.

Well, I did neither. Ground turkey and turkey sausage, are two of my most used ingredients, so why not do something with those instead? If not, this a great recipe for say, the 4^th or 5^th day of Hanukkah, once Thanksgiving is over. 

I used turkey sausage for these meatballs, making them super moist and flavorful. Because of that I used less salt than in the original recipe. Also, watch carefully for doneness in this recipe as the meatballs will remain soft on the outside, even once done inside. If you use ground turkey instead, increase salt to 1 tsp. and reduce time in the oven to only 5-8 minutes. A mix of the two meats would also be delicious.

This recipe makes roughly 18 meatballs, perfect for a small Thanksgivukkah up to 4-5 people. If you are going larger and still substituting a main, simply double this recipe.

I served these meatballs with my Israeli couscous salad. A perfect match if I do say myself. But hey, I wouldn't be upset if you put these in a pita or on top of latkes either.

Israeli Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs

(Adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

makes roughly 18 small meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. turkey sausage, such as bratwurst, removed from casing

1 large zucchini, coarsely grated over box grater

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large free-range egg

1 tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup crushed matzo crackers or breadcrumbs

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh thyme, snipped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground roasted coriander

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

6-7 tbsp. oil, vegetable, canola, or sunflower for frying

Directions:

Preheat over to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the meatballs except frying oil. Gently mix together, then using your hands, shape roughly 18 meatballs. If too wet, add more breadcrumbs.

In a large frying pan, over medium heat, add oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Once oil is hot, working in batches, sear the meatballs on all sides. Cooking each once for about for minutes until golden brown and crispy. Add more oil if needed between batches.

Once seared, carefully transfer meatballs onto a baking sheet lined with foil and lightly greased. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are just cooked through. Check after 10 minutes. Because the meatballs are made with sausage, they will be soft. They will be cooked when no longer pink and slightly firm. Check with thermometer if necessary.

Serve warm with chilled couscous salad,  or in pitas.

Enjoy!

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving or Hanukkah food?

Israeli Couscous Salad #4thDayThanksgivukkah

Welcome back to the Eight Days of Thanksgivukkah! I’m so enjoying this series and I hope you are too! I hope you check out last week’s featured recipes:

Parve Jewish Apple Cupcakes

Everything Encrusted Salmon Lox with Jerusalem Salad

Black Cherries Jubilee Cocktail

Today, I wanted to feature another salad based on the Mediterranean flavors of Israel in multiple ways. Tabbouleh is everywhere and with all the fresh vegetable in these salads, I thought why not add parsley to pearl couscous instead, making a more substantial side dish in terms of carbs at least?

I don't know about you, but '"pasta salad" was the common bring-along side dish to Thanksgiving in my family, circa 1997. It usually consisted of spaghetti, or spiral noodles with with chopped vegetables from the grocery salad bar and topped with Kraft Italian salad dressing and "pasta salad" seasoning. Remember that? I loved it as a kid, but I now know better...and so does my family.

This is not that pasta salad in any way, shape, or form. 

It is no secret that love Israeli couscous. Not only is it chewy, and soft, but it goes so well in salads or meals, hot or cold. It’s the ultimate side, not matter the occasion. 

This salad is packed with fresh cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Every bite has the crush of parsley and the entire salad is seasoned to compliment you meal, not over power it. There is no Italian salad dressing to be found. And that’s good for all of us. Instead, this brings forth the flavors of the Mediterranean and the popular flavors in Israel. It can be eaten as a part of either a dairy or parve meal, and is even better the next day!

Because this recipe is for entertaining, it is enough for a side dish. If you choose to make it a part of your main course, or for many people, it easily doubles, or triples, etc. etc.

p.s. those delicious looking meatballs on the side of that plate will be featured tomorrow. Do not fear!

Israeli Couscous Salad

(Inspired by Jerusalem: A Cookbook

 by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

Ingredients:

1 cup Israeli or pearl couscous

1 1/2 cup kosher vegetable (use chicken broth if part of Parve meal)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 and 1/2 bunches, flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

25 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 English cucumber, chopped

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

4 green onions chopped

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

2-3 tbsp. truffle olive oil

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Kosher salt if needed

Optional: 10-15 kalamata olives, halved

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, toast couscous in 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat, until pearls begin to turn golden brown. Gradually add broth and bring to a light boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes before lifting lid. Fluff with a fork and immediately toss with half of truffle oil. Chill until ready to mix with other ingredients.

Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients together in a medium bowl. Once couscous is chilled, gently fold couscous into salad. Adding vinegar, olive oil, and/or salt to taste.

Once mixed you can serve salad or chill until ready to serve. Salad will last for up to three days in the fridge. 

Enjoy!

Don't forget to check out my

 Thanksgivukkah Pinterest board!

Jewish Apple Cupcakes: #3rddayThanksgivukkah

Traditionally, when you see apples and honey they are the flavors of Rosh Hashanah instead of Hanukkah, for their mention and significance in Jewish scripture. But due to the amazing occurrence of Thanksgiving and the first full day of Hanukkah happening on the same day, all most bets are off. Thanksgiving was meant for apples, and likewise Jewish Apple Cake has become one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes over the past two years.

This year, my Jewish Apple Cake recipe, based on that of the Smitten Kitchen's, became an often found search result for "Thanksgiving Hanukkah recipes." That was the first time it occurred to me that people were looking for recipes that brought both traditions together for one special day. Since Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are much better matched together than say Hanukkah and Christmas, as happens for frequently, I knew a need wasn’t being met in search results.

Out of this came the Eight Days of Thanksgivukkah.

You may be asking, if you’ve already made this cake and posted it, why do it again?

Well, I wanted to do something a little different this time in the form of cupcakes so I more or less stuck with the original recipe, adding some fresh nutmeg, honey, and the optional limoncello for a “Cuisiner” flavor, but also took cupcake tips from the Shiksa in the Kitchen. Because these were cupcakes instead of a very large cake, I shredded the apples in a food processor instead of large chunks of apples. This way, the cupcakes not only stay together, but also incorporate the apple flavor throughout each bite.

I also wanted to go back and understand what making a recipe parve means, like this one. Before I didn't know why Jewish Apple Cake was "Jewish." Well being parve definitely helps. Because there is no dairy in this recipe, in can be eaten with meat at the same meal. Meaning, if you are celebrating a Kosher Thanksgivukkah, you can have your turkey and eat your dessert too.

If this is the first time you are celebrating or invited to a Jewish or Kosher Thanksgiving, these cupcakes are a perfect thing to bring to incorporate both holidays in a special way.

These cupcakes have a similar consistency to that of a muffin, so if you have any leftover on the Third day of Hanukkah (Black Friday,) they would make a great partner to leftover latkes and Turkey. As if you needed an excuse….

Parve Jewish Apple Cupcakes

(Adapted from the recipe of Smitten Kitchen 

and the Shiksa in the Kitchen)

Ingredients:

4 large apples, peeled (use a mix of Fuji, Jonagold, and/or Granny Smith)

1 tbsp. roasted cinnamon

3 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. honey

2 3/4 cup sifted flour

1 tbsp. baking powder, sifted

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. roasted cinnamon

1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp. honey

1/4 cup orange juice

1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

4 eggs

Optional:

1 tsp. Kosher Limoncello liqueur

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 12-cup cup cake pans or muffin pans with vegetable oil and dust bottoms with flour. (you can also use muffin liners instead)

Cut apples into thin slices and then into matchsticks. Working in batches, add apples to a food processor until just chopped, allow some bigger pieces for texture.  Add apples to a bowl and mix in cinnamon, sugar, and honey. Set aside. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate apples over a box grater, just be aware that this will add more moisture to the mixture.)

In a large bowl or stand mixer add sifted flour, baking powder and salt.

In a separate small bowl, combine oil, orange juice, sugar, honey, vanilla, and limoncello.

Working gradually, combine wet and dry ingredients until just blended. Add eggs to mixture one egg at a time until mixture is just blended. Scrape bowl.

Gently fold apple mixture, 1/2 tsp, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the flour mixture until just incorporated.

Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into each cup of the cupcake pan, filling to the top. (This will create the pretty tops.) Sprinkle each cupcake with 1 tsp, or so of walnuts.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean. Put on wire rack. Cool before serving, or my favorite-eat while still warm!

Because the apples add quite a bit of moisture when added before baking, beware of cooking time. Check cupcakes after 25 minutes, and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes only if necessary.

If you aren't kosher, these cupcakes are delicious with ice cream, homemade whipped cream, or caramel sauce such as this one.

Enjoy!