Chanukah Shabbat 2018

Happy Chanukah to you all!!!

This menu is for a social style Shabbat and Chanukah party, a little different from our typical sit-down dinner.

Wine

Mojito Bubbles - Spherification- we got the coolest gift ever- check this out- It is honestly one of the cooler things I have ever seen. It is a whole new world called molecular gastronomy. There is no limit to what you can do - In this case, we will be eating or is it drinking? a mojito bubble. yep. yep. yep.

Thank you to Sosie - WAY COOL!

Maple and pumpkin seed beer bread minis (+ some classic Challah rolls)

3 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 (12 ounce) can beer

1/4 cup oil (for crispy tops)

Mix all ingredients together, divide into ramekins, brush with oil and bake at 375 for 40-55 min. depending on size. For more extensive instructions see: click here.

Spinach Avocado Dip (in glass minis)

Blend:

2 cups spinach

1 avocado

1/2 cup non-dairy sour cream or mayonnaise

1 lime, juiced

2 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno, seeded

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt, sprinkle pepper

Refrigerate for 30 min before serving.

Arugula and cabbage salad with kombucha vinaigrette

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup kombucha

2 tbsp red onion

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/3 cup oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Serve over arugula, white or red cabbage, avocado wedges and toasted almonds.

Ramen Latkes with Shiitake + scallions

Cook 2 or 3 ramen packs in boiling water, drain and pat dry with paper towel.

Add 1 - 2 eggs, 2 minced garlics, 2 tbsp minced onion, sprinkle of salt and pepper.

If too liquidy, add a spoon of flour or Matzah meal to bring mixture together.

Fry in hot oil, on both sides until crisp and drain on paper towel.

Top the latke with a spoon of spicy mayo, or this miso spread, some fried shiitake and sliced scallions.

Miso Spread

Mix well

1 tbsp miso, 1 minced garlic, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice or apple cider vinegar.

"Chremzin"

Is a food I totally grew up on.

Prep a pot of mashed potatoes with caramelized onions and press it into a frying pan- making one giant Latke or pie, or you can make smaller latke circles and fry on both sides until nice and crisp. It's SO good.

Tuscan bean and Kale soup pg 274 of SaltFatAcidHeat

Hummus and Sundried tomato stuffed mushrooms

Clean mushroom and remove stem, place them stem side down in a baking pan, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes, drain the liquid and fill with prepared hummus (link last weeks here), a sliver of sundried tomato and an olive slice.

Cajun chicken drums

Make a cajun seasoning mix:

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Sprinkle on all sides of chicken, drizzle evenly with oil, and bake at 400 degrees, uncovered for 30 min.

Koeksisters

by Genevieve Reich

A koeksister is a traditional Afrikaner confectionery made of plaited fried dough infused in syrup.

Syrup:

800 ml water

1,5 kg sugar

12,5 ml cream of tartar

40 ml lemon juice

for frying, sunflower oil

For the dough:

4 x 250ml (500g) cake flour

25ml baking powder

20ml margarine

1/2 large beaten egg

245ml water

Method

For the syrup:

Place the water, sugar, and cream of tartar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once the syrup starts to boil, add the lemon juice and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Cool the syrup to room temperature. Pour half of the syrup into a bowl and keep over ice to cool rapidly. Place the remaining syrup in the fridge to cool.

For the dough:

Sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl and then rub in the margarine with your fingertips.

Add the beaten ½ egg to the water and whisk to incorporate.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour in the water mixture and then start to mix until a smooth dough has formed. Knead thoroughly.

Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes or up to 5 hours. Heat the oil to 160 °C.

Using an oiled rolling pin, roll out the dough on an oiled surface to a thickness of 5 mm. Cut the dough into rectangles of 6 x 15 cm. Cut each rectangle lengthways into 3 strips, leaving one side uncut. Plait the 3 strips and press the cut ends together firmly.

Fry in batches of 6 in the hot oil for 6–7 minutes, or until dark golden brown. Drain them for a few seconds on paper towels. Keep the rest of the koeksisters covered to prevent them from drying out.

Dip the koeksisters into the ice-cold syrup while they are still hot. Remove from the syrup with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack. The syrup will gradually become hot with use, so when you have done about half of the koeksisters take the remaining syrup from the fridge and use this for the balance.

Top tip: For a yummy flavour, add a piece of dried ginger and a stick of cinnamon to the syrup when the lemon juice is added. The colder the syrup the better! Make it the day before and place in the fridge to ensure it is ice cold.