I have a little dreidel

OMG. It's here again. Chanukah. When did that happen? Just a year ago I wrote my first ever blog post about cooking to Maoz Tzur, and here it is frying time again. Not that I don't like Chanukah, but really, I am still working off the extra calories from last year's latkes.

So how about this? I will think up a Chanukah menu that has no frying in it but is still holiday appropriate and everyone will ignore my love handles ("handles"? I got the whole pot wrapped around my midsection. Oy.)

So. Chanukah. What comes to mind that is not latkes?

The dreidel, of course. No calories there. Perfect. OK, four dishes, based on the four letters. Piece o'cake.

(note: this menu is a bit mixed up: you have dessert first (always a good idea, since life is so uncertain), then a carby side dish, then a main course, then the veggies. Please feel free to serve it in any order you like)


Nun Nutella cookies (because nothing is as good as Nutella):

1 cup Nutella spread
1 cup flour
1 egg
Pinch baking powder


In a large bowl, mix together the Nutella and the egg. Add the flour and baking powder and stir until incorporated.
The mixture will be quite thick. Roll teaspoons of dough into balls and place on baking sheets lined with baking paper. Using the base of a glass, press each cookie down firmly.
Bake for 6 – 8 minutes at 350F.

Makes 24 cookies.

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Gimmel Garlic bread (beloved by all):

This one is too simple for words. Take a long French bread (or Italian, whatever). Slice the whole thing open. Smear tons of softened butter. Add plenty of crushed garlic. Sprinkle salt, pepper, chopped parsley, grated Parmesan (all or some). Wrap well in foil. Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes. Oh, you want specifics? Hmm... let's say one baguette, 3-4 Tbs soft butter, 3 gloves of garlic, 1 Tbs parsley, 1 Tbs Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
Some people make this with less butter or less garlic or even (G-d forbid) butter spray and/or garlic powder. These people deserve what they eat.




Hey Halibut with fresh breadcrumbs (half the people I know love fish, half hate it; I can't win either way):

10 Tbs butter, divided
8 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
8 cloves garlic, smashed
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (you can simply throw leftover challah in the food processor and run it until you have crumbs.)
1 cup fresh parsley leave, finely chopped (just run them in the food processor after you're done with the breadcrumbs.)




Coat a large baking dish with 2 Tbs of butter. Add the fish and season with salt, pepper, lemon zest and lemon juice.


Melt the rest of the butter (8 Tbs) in a skillet with the garlic until butter starts to bubble. Immediately turn off the heat and let rest for 2-3 minutes.


Add breadcrumbs and toss gently until the butter is absorbed. Add parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper (remember there is already seasoning on the fish itself, so go easy.)


Spread the breadcrumb mixture on the fish.


Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the fish is cooked through. You may need to adjust cooking time depending on the thickness of the fillets.


Serves 8.





Shin Shredded salad (put one (of each veggie) in):


Salad:
1 raw large beet trimmed, scrubbed & quartered
1 very small (about the size of a small grapefruit) red cabbage, quartered
1 large carrot, scrubbed & trimmed
1 very small (about the size of a small grapefruit) white cabbage, quartered
1 apple, quartered
1 cup walnuts, roughly bashed
1 handful Italian parsley chopped
1 handful mint, chopped

Dressing:
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt & ground pepper

Coarsely grate all salad ingredients (use a food processor for ease and speed) in the order they appear above. This will (hopefully) stop the beets from staining everything. If your food processor is small, do this in batches.
Turn vegetables out onto a platter so you get a pile of rainbow colors.
Mix the yogurt, mustard, vinegar, and oil, then season with salt and pepper.
Add walnuts and herbs and toss everything together.

Sevres 8.




See? No frying, a meal that is dairy in honor of Yehudit, a menu that relates to one of the holiday's symbols and, between the fish and the salad, you can ignore the enormous amounts of butter and pretend it's healthy.