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Food

A miracle never tasted so good

Eating foods fried in oil is a tradition during Hanukkah, and fried dougnuts are a particular favorite.

By BEVERLY LEVITT, Special to the Times
Published December 13, 2006

Hanukkah is one of the happiest celebrations on the Jewish calendar. Not only did our ancestors win the first recorded war of religious freedom but when the soldiers poured a tiny cask of pure olive oil into the menorah at the temple in Jerusalem, it stayed ablaze for eight days, even though there was barely enough of the golden substance to stay lit for one.

To celebrate this 2,000-year-old miracle we eat foods fried in oil for the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, beginning at sundown on Friday.

Doughnuts are the most popular Hanukkah dessert in the United States and Israel, where they are called sufganiyot, says rabbi and cookbook author Gil Marks. Jewish communities all over the world have their own regional version of these yeast fry cakes. And these "modern" delicacies are prepared practically the same way today as they were 2,500 years ago.

The Turkish version is called lokmas; in Greece they are named loukoumades; in Poland and Australia, ponchiks; in Spain and Latin America, bunuelos; and in Germany, Berliners.

Although often they are simply fry cakes, meaning they are made with yeast and shaped into round balls that puff when fried, they can be powdered, glazed and sprinkled and, for Hanukkah, filled with jams and jellies.

In Germany and Poland, plum and prune jams were used because these fruits were plentiful at Hanukkah. A filling made of poppy seeds was also popular.

Many people find Bismarks (presumably named after the first chancellor of the German Empire) the creme de la creme of doughnuts. The small, rim-shaped cakes are filled with generous helpings of custards and creams and often topped with chocolate or powdered sugar.

Bismarks are Rabbi Marks' favorites. He uses a basic pastry cream for the filling and emphasizes the importance of whisking it while it is cooking.

According to Marks' The World of Jewish Cooking (Simon & Schuster, 1996), fried dough treats have been common fare in the Mediterranean region for 2,500 years. The trick to making fritters crisp and not greasy, he emphasizes, is that the oil be the right temperature. Ideally, the inside will be cooked through and the outside golden brown.

The basic fry dough recipe is also made into funnel cakes in the Middle East. The dough, which can be made with or without yeast, is dropped from a large spoon, plastic squeeze bottle or pastry bag into hot oil in a spiral fashion, which is shaped into cakes. Served piping hot with powdered sugar, funnel cakes (zelebi) are a treat. You've seen similar versions at state fairs and other carnivals.

On the first day of Hanukkah, Laura Frankel makes 1,000 sufganiyot at Shallots, her kosher restaurant in Skokie, Ill. "People eat them here, but for the first night, mostly they order them for family parties." Frankel fills her sufganiyot with jellies such as sour cherry, raspberries and cranberry. She also makes a chocolate filling.

"Nothing is as much fun as making doughnuts with your children," she says. "They remember it forever. One person mans the oil, another the pastry bag and somebody is in charge of sprinkling powdered sugar on top.

"They seem intimidating but they're really easy and quick."

You can even make the dough the night before, she suggests. Keep it in the fridge in a tightly closed plastic bag. Bring it to room temperature before rolling into balls.

"I keep the meal dairy so I can use butter in the recipe. I eat latkes, but really, I save myself for the doughnuts," she says with a chuckle. "I wait all year to splurge on sufganiyot."

"When you wish people a Frailach Hanukkah the food should reflect that," she says. "I love decorating my house with lights; I put dreidels everywhere. It's great fun. It's the perfect time to splurge on a fried dessert."

It's just not the same carrying a big box home from the doughnut shop.

Beverly Levitt is a freelance writer in Los Angeles.

 Breakfast

Sufganiyot (Doughnuts)

1 tablespoon dry yeast

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup room-temperature dark beer, such as Guinness

2 1/2 to 3 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

4 egg yolks

2 tablespoons butter or canola oil

Favorite preserves, such as plum

- Mix the yeast, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the beer. Let sit until the yeast has proofed and is bubbly.

- Sift the flour and mix with the remaining sugar, salt, spices, egg yolks and the yeast mixture. Add the butter or oil.

- Knead the dough until it is smooth and forms a ball. Pinch off pieces and form into 2-inch balls. Place on a cookie sheet and let rise for about 30 minutes until it has doubled in size.

- Heat oil to 350 degrees. Use a thermometer to make sure it stays at this temperature. If oil begins to smoke, it is too hot; empty oil and start over.

- Drop the doughnuts into the oil about five at a time. Using chopsticks or tongs, turn to brown. When dark golden brown, remove to a plate lined with paper towels and drain excess oil.

- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small tip with the preserves. Pipe the preserves into the doughnuts and then roll the doughnuts in sugar to coat.

Makes about 24 doughnuts.

Source: Laura Frankel, cookbook author and chef-founder of Shallots Restaurant, Skokie, Ill.

Dessert

Middle Eastern Funnel Cakes (Zelebi)

11/3 cups all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom (optional)

1 cup milk or soy milk (or 1 cup water and 1/4 cup powdered milk)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon granulated sugar or honey

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Vegetable oil for deep frying (21 ounces)

About 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar for sprinkling or sugar syrup for drizzling

- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk, egg, sugar, and, if using, vanilla. Whisk into flour mixture or process all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. If desired, add pecans. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

- In a large cast iron skillet or other large skillet, heat about 11/2 inches oil over medium-high heat to 375 degrees.

- Place a finger under the opening of a funnel with a 1/2- to 1/3-inch spout and fill with about 1/2 cup batter. You can also use a squeeze bottle, large measuring glass or pastry bag.

- Hold over the oil and remove your finger, letting the batter fall into the oil. Moving from the center of the pan, continuously swirl the batter in a steady stream in circular motions to produce overlapping circles about 6 inches in diameter.

- Fry, turning once using tongs, until golden brown on both sides (about 1 minute per side). Remove and drain on paper towels. (Pastry looks like lace or a mass of intertwined circles). Let oil return to temperature before adding next cake.

- Sprinkle hot cakes liberally with confectioners' sugar or drizzle syrup. Serve immediately.

Makes about six (6-inch) pastries.

Source: Rabbi and author Gil Marks

Dessert

Apple Fritters with Chocolate Sauce

3 crisp apples (such as Granny Smith) cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon cinnamon or less if you prefer

2 tablespoons sugar

For the batter:

1 egg

4 1/2 ounces rice flour

6 ounces ice water

4 to 5 cups canola or other neutral-flavored oil for frying

Chocolate sauce (see recipe)

- Toss apples with the lemon juice. Stir together cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over apples.

- Whisk the egg. Add rice flour and water and lightly stir. Do not overmix.

- Heat oil to 350 degrees. Dredge apple slices in batter and place, one by one, in the oil. Fry until batter is lightly browned and crunchy, about 2 minutes.

- Remove from oil and continue frying in batches. Cool apple slices on paper towels and sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar if desired.

- Makes about 15 servings.

Source: Laura Frankel, chef-founder of Shallots Restaurant, Skokie, Ill.

Sauce

Chocolate Dipping Sauce

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup high-quality cocoa powder

1 pound best-quality bittersweet chocolate (same brands)

- Place 2 cups water, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan; cook over medium heat until boiling. Add cocoa and stir until combined.

- Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Remove syrup from heat and pour over the chocolate pieces. Allow chocolate to melt (3 to 5 minutes) then whisk the mixture together until smooth. Pour into a clean container with a tight-fitting lid.

- To serve, place dipping sauce in a bowl; dip apple fritters in sauce.

Makes about 3 cups.

Source: Jewish Cooking for all Seasons by Laura Frankel, (Wiley, 2006).

Side dish

Ashkenazic Sweet Cheese Pancakes (Zeesih Kaese Latkes)

1 pound cottage, pot or ricotta cheese

4 large eggs

About 3/4 cup all-purpose flour or matzo meal

2 tablespoons butter, melted, or sour cream

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar or honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extra or ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Vegetable oil or butter for frying

- In a food processor or blender, puree the cheese, eggs, flour or matzo meal, butter or sour cream, sugar or honey, vanilla or cinnamon, and salt until smooth.

- Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease with oil or butter.

- In batches, drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls and fry until bubbles form on the tops and the bottoms are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

- Turn and fry until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. (The pancakes may be kept warm by placing in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 200-degree oven.) Serve accompanied with sour cream, yogurt, maple syrup, flavored butter, jam, cinnamon-sugar or fresh fruit.

Makes about 30 (3-inch) pancakes.

Source: The World of Jewish Cooking by Gil Marks (Simon & Schuster, 1996)

[Last modified December 12, 2006, 12:02:42]