Historic Recipe for Hanukkah

donna

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Joined
May 12, 2010
Location
Now Florida but always a Kentuckian
Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of lights and is celebrated December 8 through 16 for 2012. On the Hebrew calendar, the dates are 25 Kislev to 2 Tevet in the year 5773.

It is an eight day celebration that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jersusalem in the second century B.C.E. during the Maccabean revolt against oppressive Greek rulers. It is celebrated by lighting a nine-branch candelabrum, commonly called a menorah.

Today, Jews everywhere light memorahs on each night of hanukkah. Traditionally, one candle or flame is lit for each night until the eighth night, when all eight lights shine together.

Gift giving is now a common practice and it is therefore a beloved time for Jewish children. Foods served at Hanukkah are fried potato pancakes called latkes and doughnuts called sufganiyot. The dreidel, spinning top with the four Hebrew letters, nun, gimel, hei, shin, has become synonymous with the holiday. The letters form an acronym for the message of Hanukkah, "a great miracle happened there".

Information from http://huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/0...uals-history-and-how-to-videos_n_2257645.html

Recipe for Hanukkah Latkes

2 large peeled russet potatoes
1 large egg
1 tablespoon flour or matzo meal
salt and pepper to taste
apple sauce and sour cream

Using largest hole of a grater, grate the potatoes into a large bowl. sprinkle flour or matzo meal over potatoes, add salt and pepper and mix well with a fork. Beat the egg into the poatoes and mix with a fork.

In a cast-iron skillet, pour enough peanut oil to make a 1/2 inch layer and heat very slowly, don't let the oil smoke. When oil is hot, spoon latke mix into oil and flatten with a spatula. Fry till golden brown, about 4 minutes, then flip over, reduce heat, and fry the other side, about 3 minutes. Drain onto a paper towel and serve with apple sauce and sour cream. Serves 2.

Recipe from: "Simple Pleasures for The Holidays" by Susannah Seton.
 
Recipe for Sufganiyot (Jelly Doughnuts)

2 (1/4 ounces) envelopes dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
6 tablespoons shortening
5 cups flour
oil for deep frying
1 (13 1/2 ounce) jar strawberry jelly or other fruit jelly
Confectioners' sugar

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water and let stamd five minutes or until foamy.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and two cups flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed.

3. Beat in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about five minutes or until smooth and elastic.

4. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

5.. Place the dough onto a floured surface and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into circles. Let rise again until doubled in bulk.

6. Heat 4 cups of oil in a deep fryer or large pot to 350 degrees. Carefully slide doughnuts into hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn the doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Doughnuts are ready when both sides are golden brown.

7. Fill with 1 tablespoon jelly using a pastry injector, or by cutting a small slit in the side of the doughnut and inserting the jelly with a baby spoon. Close tightly, roll in confectioners' sugar.

Yield 40 doughnuts
 
Hanukkah in the White House first occurred in 1951, when Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion presented U.S. President Harry Truman with a Hanukkah Menoral. It was then not until 1979 that President jimmy Carter took part in a public Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony on the National Mall, followed by the first candle lighting ceremony in the White House. led by President Bill Clinton.

In 2001, President George W. Bush held an official Hanukkah reception in the White House and since that ceremony it has become an annual tradition attended by Jewish leaders from around the country.
 
One of my favorite songs associated with Hanukkah is "The Dreidel Song". I first learned it in grade school. The lyrics were written by Samuel S. Grossman and the composers were Mikhl Gelbbart and Samuel Goldfarb.

"I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.
When it's dry and ready, then dreidel I shall play.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play."
 
Another great recipe assciated with Hanukkah is Apricot Rugelach.

Dough

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, sofened
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup dried apricots, diced

Topping

white from 1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

First make the dough with an electric mixer; beat cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, and egg yolk until light and fluffy. Add the flour a little at a time, with beater on low. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, shape each half into a 1/2 inch circle. wrap each half separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. in a small saucepan, combine the filing ingredients and simmer until thickened.

On a floured surface cut 1 dough circle to 10 inches diameter. Trim so that it is even around. Spread half the filling on top. Cut into 16 wedges. Using a spatula, remove one wedge. Starting at wide end, roll up to point. Continue until you have 32 rolled up wedges.

Place rugelach point side down on cookie sheet. Brush each with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Makes 32 wedges.

From: "Simple Pleasures for the Holidays" by Susannah Seton.
 
An interesting fact on Hanukkah in the United States is that up until the mid-19th century it was not widely celebrated. Two Jewish Rabbis, Isaac Wise and Max Lilienthal, who lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, noticed that their children didn't have much connection to the synagogue. The rabbis developed a new celebration for Hanukkah that included the giving of presents. It than began to be celebrated in U.S. and became great in importance.

"It is to be noted that 10,000 Jewish soldiers fought in the Civil War. It is estimated that 7000 fought for the Union and 3000 for the Confederacy. Allegences during the Civil War split the Jewish Community as deeply as it did the nation at large. Some prominent Jews, including Jewish slave owners, cited the Torah to justify slavery, while others were leaders in the abolitionist movement or established their synagogues as stops on the underground railroad."

There is DVD on the history of Jews in Civil War called, "Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray". It has the history of Jews during war, "including Ulysses S. Grant's infamous "General Order No. 11" expelling Jews from Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, the rise of Sephardic Jew Judah P. Benjamin to Secretary of State of the Confederacy, the imprisonment of Confederate spy Eugenia Levy Phillips, and the unlikely story of Abraham Lincoln's Jewish doctor who moved through the South as a Union spy."

See http://www.jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/blueandgray.htm.
 
Jewish-American History Foundation

As of January of 1862, Washington City boasted 6 Kosher restaurants and almost 2,000 citizens (not counting the influx of soldiers.)

At the time of the Civil War, my native Cincinnati held the second largest population of Jews in the country. New York City held the largest. Philadelphia, Baltimore, Savannah, Charleston, and New Orleans also had a large enough representation to note. Even San Fransisco had a temple, though not yet in a permanent building.

Many, MANY Jews still consider gift-giving materialistic and perpetuating a stereotype of "wealthy Jew"... so be aware of how such habits are perceived when you include gift-giving as part of a period depiction of Chanukah celebrations.
 
Thanks for information. I didn't know you were from Cincinnati. We live in Hebron, Ky (Northern Kentucky), near the Cincinnati International Airport. Go over to Cincinnati all the time. So many great museums there and other historical sites.
 
Several Jews fought in the Civil War and probably the most famous was Judah P. Benjamin. He served as Attorney General, Secretary of War and Secretary of State for the Confederacy. He was known as "the brains of the Confederacy".

Two books on him are:

"Judah P. Benjamin The Jewish Confederate" by Eli N. Evan and "Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Statesman" by Douthat Meade.

Since have thread on Hanukkah had to mention him. For me, he is one of the most interesting statesman during the Civil War. Know this not on food but probably he had several dishes for Hanukkah. Just my thoughts.
 
Another relatively well known Jew from during the Civil War was one of our lady nurses - Phoebe Yates Pember.

Some links relating to her and her amazing fortitude as the matron nurse at Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond -
http://www.workingnurse.com/articles/Phoebe-Yates-Levy-Pember-Civil-War-Nurse-and-Diarist
http://www.historynet.com/nurse-pember-and-the-whiskey-war.htm
http://civilwarwomenblog.com/phoebe-yates-pember/

Her diary can be found at Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XR4ANI/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

And here is a lovely tribute to her on Find-a-Grave - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f...el=all&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=11772346&df=all&
 
Thank you @donna for the history of Hanukkah. I used to live in Sin City. Newport, Ky. The only thing interesting about Newport was Wilder, mostly famous for it's hauntings. I lived very near the CH in Newport where they hung the murderers of Pearl Bryan, Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling. A strange town at best.
 
Newport has a wonderful Aquarium. Their penguin exhibit is one of the best. There are some good restaurants too. The Tearoom I went to is just a few miles from Newport in Bellevue, Ky.

I like to drive Ky. 8 over to that area. It is old road that runs next to Ohio River. There are several little towns a long the way. There is also the Anderson Ferry. It has been around for couple hundred years. Sometimes we take it over to Cincinnati just for the ride. I have posted on the ferry before on here.
 
Another great recipe assciated with Hanukkah is Apricot Rugelach.

Dough

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, sofened
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup dried apricots, diced

Topping

white from 1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

First make the dough with an electric mixer; beat cream cheese, butter, brown sugar, and egg yolk until light and fluffy. Add the flour a little at a time, with beater on low. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, shape each half into a 1/2 inch circle. wrap each half separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. in a small saucepan, combine the filing ingredients and simmer until thickened.

On a floured surface cut 1 dough circle to 10 inches diameter. Trim so that it is even around. Spread half the filling on top. Cut into 16 wedges. Using a spatula, remove one wedge. Starting at wide end, roll up to point. Continue until you have 32 rolled up wedges.

Place rugelach point side down on cookie sheet. Brush each with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Makes 32 wedges.

From: "Simple Pleasures for the Holidays" by Susannah Seton.
I love chocolate rugelach
 
Recipe for Sufganiyot (Jelly Doughnuts)

2 (1/4 ounces) envelopes dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
6 tablespoons shortening
5 cups flour
oil for deep frying
1 (13 1/2 ounce) jar strawberry jelly or other fruit jelly
Confectioners' sugar

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water and let stamd five minutes or until foamy.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and two cups flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed.

3. Beat in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about five minutes or until smooth and elastic.

4. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about an hour.

5.. Place the dough onto a floured surface and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into circles. Let rise again until doubled in bulk.

6. Heat 4 cups of oil in a deep fryer or large pot to 350 degrees. Carefully slide doughnuts into hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn the doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Doughnuts are ready when both sides are golden brown.

7. Fill with 1 tablespoon jelly using a pastry injector, or by cutting a small slit in the side of the doughnut and inserting the jelly with a baby spoon. Close tightly, roll in confectioners' sugar.

Yield 40 doughnuts
What? No bacon?
 
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