Fear Of Frying

Chanuka (you may spell it differently. everyone has their own spelling. It's OK)  is almost here. Did you take out your extra large frying pan? Did you buy extra oil? Did you renew your membership in Weight Watchers? Why do we fry? Because of the miracle of the oil. Sure, you knew that. But then why do we use an oil that in all probability, was not in use back than, certainly not in the holy temple? Wouldn't it make better sense to use olive oil? and just put it into salads? W-a-y healthier and still within the parameters of tradition.

My friend Debbie usually bemoans the latkes by the third day. I can relate. I love potatoes but eventually you can get sick of anything (My daughter does not agree. "You can't get sick of pizza" says she). I try to be a good friend and provide services as needed and so, here is an idea for those of us who can't stand the thought of yet another night of latkes.

Let's take a short pause here and talk about something that seems unrelated: Maoz Tzur. You know this one? "Rock of Ages" (not a very good translation, but what can you do?). You DO know that the song has 5 more verses, right? So this is a song about how 4 different nations have tried to destroy the Jews and failed because G-d saved us. The first verse is about G-d building a house of prayer where we can offer thanks (one of my favorite themes in life). Then the song goes on to describe events we should be thankful for: being saved from the Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians and Greeks. The last verse is  about the future, bringing salvation (yehshooa) and a spiritual leader worthy of the title. All good things but how does it relate to food? 

Hello, we're Jews. Everything relates to food. As you know, all Jewish holidays can be summarized by "They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat". If you look at Maoz Tzur, that's exactly what it's about, except for the "eat" part. 

This is where Kitchen-to-Kitchen comes in.

Back to the song:

First verse (first night): Sing your heart out and have latkes like a good Jew.

Second verse (second night): the Egyptians enslaved us but we were saved. Let's have an Egyptian meal. 

There is an interesting dish called Ful. It is fava beans, cooked until they are very soft (preferably overnight with plenty of water) and served over hummus, with hard boiled egg, thick slices of fresh yellow onions, fresh coarsely chopped parsley, lemon wedges and a healthy drizzle of olive oil (and, of course, pita). Some people are allergic to fava, so if you are - you can use some other large bean (like Butter Beans).

Third verse (third night): The Babylonians exiled us to Babel and it took 70 years to return. Let's have an Iraqi meal (modern day Iraq is the accepted site of ancient Babel). 

See a recipe at the end for Sambusak. These are sort of  Iraqi calzones, filled with mashed garbanzo beans. Serve with a fresh salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions,green peppers and parsley, with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. 

Fourth and fifth night are Friday and Saturday when most people will have their Shabbat meals and/or be invited to parties so we'll take a break from the Maoz Tzur cooking.

Fourth verse (sixth night): The Persians tried to kill us (funny, they still do, don't they?) but we were saved (again). Let's have an Iranian meal (Iran is the modern name of ancient Persia). 

There is a wonderful dish in the Iranian cuisine called "kookoo sabzi". It is a baked souffle-like dish of eggs and green leafy vegetables. Just chop about six cups worth of a variety of dark green leafy vegetables (scallions, parsley, spinach, leeks, whatever. Just make sure there is more than one kind and as many veggies from the onion family as you can get), mix with 7 or 8 eggs, salt and pepper, a tablespoon of flour and 1/3 cup of oil and bake at 325 for an hour until the top is crisp and brown. Serve with yogurt (you can mix the yogurt with crushed garlic, salt and chopped spinach, if you like).

Fifth verse (seventh night): Finally, we get to the Greeks. That's why we have this holiday to begin with. Let's have a Greek meal. 

Spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese pie in filo dough) with Greek salad (chopped veggies with chunks of feta and black olives) and you're all set.

Last verse (last night): The Ge'ula. For this night I recommend a modern Israeli meal, since at the end of days, Israel will be the center of events. 

There are many misconceptions about Israeli cuisine. One of the biggest is that it exists. To develop a "cuisine" - one needs about 500 years of traditional, regional cooking. Israel is simply too young for that. But, there are some staples which represent the local cuisine rather well. 

For an Israeli meal I would make a fresh salad of avocado, orange and red onion slices with a dressing of extra virgin olive oil (always use extra virgin. why bother with any other kind?), red wine vinegar, a touch of coarse grain mustard, salt and pepper. Accompanied by chicken baked in Silan (date syrup), served on a bed of lentils cooked with Za'atar and a barley pilaf, this is a meal that combines modern and biblical ingredients, symbolizing the ge'ula that will come in the modern era, in the biblical land.

And if you still want to fry some latkes, go right ahead. They will go with everything listed above, because latkes go with everything. 

Have a happy Chanuka,

Osnat

PS here's the recipe for Sambusak:

(for 20 pieces)

Ingredients:

3/4 ounce dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 Tbs sugar

4 cups flour

3 Tbs melted margarine

1-2 cups water

1 egg white

1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans (home cooked or from a can)

2 Tbs vegetable or canola oil

2 finely chopped medium onions

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp hot paprika

1/8 tsp each of: ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice

1. Dissolve yeast in the warm water and sprinkle sugar on top. Leave in a warm place until it bubbles (about 20 minutes)

2. Put flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Put melted margarine and yeast mix into the well. Knead while adding water (as needed) until a smooth dough forms. Let rise (covered) in a warm place for halfan hour.

3. Make filling: process garbanzo beans in a food processor, fry the onions in oil and add to beans. Add all the spices and mix well.

4. On a floured counter top, roll dough into a rectangle 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut into circles with a cookie cutter or upended glass, put a teaspoonful of filling in the center of each circle. Brush edges with egg white,fold over and seal. Let rise 20 minutes.

5. Deep fry the sambusaks until golden. Serve warm.