Hanukkah Vegetarian Recipes

Potato Pancakes, or Latkes

Potato pancakes, or latkes, are a Jewish dish traditionally served at Hanukkah. Whether you're Jewish or not, crispy potato pancakes are delicious at breakfast and brunch.

Yield

15 latkes, enough for about 4 servings

Time

30 minutes

Tools

• grater
• colander
• wooden spoon
• knife
• food processor, blender, or large bowl
• large frying pan
• spatula
• paper towels
• oven-safe plate

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes (2 pounds)
• 1 small white onion, peeled
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ c unbleached white flour OR matzo meal
• ½ t salt
• pinch baking powder
• black pepper
• several T vegetable oil

Directions

Grate potatoes, place in colander, and press with wooden spoon to

squeeze out excess liquid. Transfer to blender, food processor, or bowl.

Mince or finely grate onion and add to potatoes along with eggs,

flour, salt, baking powder, and pepper. Process/mix until well

combined. (If you're using a blender, you might find it easier to do this in

two batches and then mix them together.)

Heat oven to 200. Place paper towels on plate and set next to

stove.

Add enough oil to frying pan to just cover the bottom and heat

until a drop of water dropped on it sizzles. Put three or four scoops of

latke batter into pan to make pancakes and press each one down. Fry until

brown and crisp, turn, and repeat. Place latkes on paper towels and keep

warm in the oven.

Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to pan as needed.

Serve immediately.

Cascadilla - Cold Soup recipe

This dairy-based, traditional Jewish soup is light and refreshing.

Yield

4-6 servings

Time

1 hour

Tools

• Knife
• Blender
• Bowl with lid

Ingredients

• 1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 scallion
• 1 small clove garlic
• ½ t dill
• 5 raw mushrooms
• 4 c tomato juice
• 1 c yogurt
• salt
• pepper
• croutons
• watercress, minced

Directions

Two options:

1. Mince cucumber, scallion, garlic, dill, and 4 mushrooms, then combine with tomato juice, yogurt, salt, and pepper.
2. Purée above ingredients.

Either way, cover bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, thinly slice the 5th mushroom, and garnish cascadilla with mushroom slices, croutons, and watercress.

Notes

Adapted from Molly Katzen's New Moosewood Cookbook.

This is from http://www.vegsource.com/hanukkah.htm

Baked Eggplant and Peppers

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Eggplant and peppers, two well-loved vegetables in both the Eastern European and Sephardic traditions, are combined in a delicious casserole.

1 large or 2 smaller eggplants, 1 ½ pounds total, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup wheat germ

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares

1 ½ cups diced plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons unbleached white flour

3/4 cup soymilk

1 ½ cups grated Mozzarella-style soy "cheese"

dash cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the diced eggplant in a colander and salt it. Let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sautee over moderate heat until it begins to turn golden. Add the eggplant and just enough water to keep the bottom of the skillet moist. Cover and cook, stirring frequently. When the eggplant is about half done, stir in the basil and cumin. Cook until the eggplant is tender, adding small amounts of water as needed while cooking to keep the skillet moist. Stir in the wheat germ and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Oil a large, shallow baking casserole and pat the eggplant mixture into it.

Rinse the skillet and heat the oil. Add the peppers and sautee over high heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown.

Lower the heat, stir in the tomatoes, and sautee for a minute or two, just until they begin to soften. Slowly sprinkle in the flour, stirring until it disappears. Then, slowly, stir in the milk and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in the cheese, a bit at a time, followed by the cayenne. Let the mixture simmer until thickened and the cheese is completely melted. Pour over the eggplant. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes, then scoop out sections with a spatula to serve.

Stewed White Beans

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Small white beans cooked in a savory sauce is a common Sephardic dish, served all year round for holidays and everyday meals alike.

2 tablespoons safflower oil

1 cup minced onion

½ cup minced celery

14 1/2-ounce can can crushed tomatoes

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried summer savory

2 bay leaves

2 1/4 to 2 ½ cups canned or cooked navy beans

salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a deep, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and celery and sautee over moderate heat until they are golden. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the beans. Add a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper. Simmer, covered, over very low heat, for 45 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings and serve hot.

Israeli Salad

Makes 6 to 8 servings

The hallmark of an Israeli salad is that its vegetables are diced very small, resulting in a nice blending of flavors. Let your tomatoes ripen in paper bags in a cool, dark place for two to

three days to develop more flavor.

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

4 medium plum tomatoes, or 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 cup finely shredded red cabbage

2 bunches scallions, minced

½ cup finely diced radish

1 medium half-sour pickle, finely diced, or 1/3 cup chopped green olives

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, to taste

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the vegetables in a salad bowl. Toss together. Use enough olive oil to moisten the vegetables, and lemon juice to taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper, or just with pepper, and toss again.

Cheese blintzes with Blueberry Sauce

Makes 16 blintzes, 2 per serving

Hanukkah desserts, such as jelly donuts, are traditionally deep-fried but since this meal includes fried latkes, it might be prudent to opt for the Jewish classic, cheese blintzes. These, too, are appropriate to this holiday, since cheese delicacies are a typical off offering.

Sauce

2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed

1/4 to 1/3 cup light brown sugar, to taste

dash lemon juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Pancake batter

1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

½ teaspoon salt

3 egg substitutess, beaten

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup soymilk

2 tablespoons safflower oil

Filling

1 ½ pounds soft, well-mashed tofu

3 tablespoons honey, or to taste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Combine the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse on and off until the blueberries are coarsely chopped. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and pulse on and off a few more times. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. The filling may be done ahead of time and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine the egg substitute with the water, soymilk, and oil. Stir until well blended. Make a well in the flour and pour the wet mixture in. Stir vigorously just until smoothly combined -- don't overbeat.

Heat a 6- or 7-inch nonstick skillet. When it is hot enough to make a drop of water sizzle, drop a scant 1/4 cupful of batter in and swirl it around until it coats the skillet. Cook on both sides until golden. Remove to a plate and repeat until the batter is used up.

Combine the ingredients for the filling in a small mixing bowl. If the "cheese" seems very dry, add a bit of soy milk to give it a creamier consistency. Divide the mixture among the pancakes and fold as instructed in the accompanying illustration. Serve at room temperature, passing the sauce around for guests to spoon over their blintzes.