In yesterday's A La Carte section, an incorrect date was given for Hanukkah. It begins at sunset Sunday, Nov. 27.
The Sun regrets the error.
Long translated as the Holiday of Lights, Hanukkah really should be called the holiday of oil, since it commemorates the miracle of oil that occurred in the Temple in Jerusalem over 2,000 years ago. Oil enough to keep the temple candelabrum lighted for only one day lasted eight days. As a result, Jewish people throughout the world remember this miracle by serving foods made with oil at Hanukkah celebrations. East European Jews make potato latkes, pancakes fried in oil. Sephardic Jews, especially those from North Africa, offer a variety of fried doughnut-like cakes. These cakes are called sufganiyot in Israel. There, people serve them throughout the eight-day holiday, which begins this year on Sunday evening.
For something a little different this year, why not organize one evening's festivities around a meal with an Israeli theme? Start with a platter of fresh vegetables and pita bread triangles for dipping into a bowl of hummus, seasoned with garlic, lemon and cumin. For the entree, have your guests fill pita bread halves with spicy Middle Eastern meatballs. Top the meatballs with baba ghannouj, a mixture of cooked eggplant and hummus. Include an assortment of Israeli salads such as tabbouleh or wilted cucumbers.
For dessert, prepare the jelly doughnuts. Have each person shape and fill his or her own doughnut from an assortment of jams and jellies for an authentic Israeli touch. Let the doughnuts rise while everyone eats dinner. Then fry and serve them hot.
Don't let the list of unusual ingredients throw you. You'll find most of them in your local supermarket. Be sure to check the gourmet aisle for items such as the tahini paste. If you can't find one of the ingredients, make an excursion to any Middle Eastern grocery store or deli.
Hummus Makes about 1 quart
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup water
a few --es of hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
Place garlic, salt and garbanzos in food processor. Process until mixture is almost pureed. Add tahini paste and process again. With the machine running, add the olive oil, lemon juice and water in a thin stream. Scrape the sides of the container. Add the remaining ingredients and process again. Adjust the seasonings. Serve as a dip with cut vegetables and pita bread triangles.
Spicy meatballs Makes 16 meatballs
1 pound extra lean ground beef or 1 pound turkey breast
1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried dill
Place all ingredients in food processor. Process until well combined. Divide the meat mixture into 16 pieces. Wet your hands with cold water and shape each piece into a ball.
Spray a fry pan with vegetable oil
spray. Place meatballs in the pan. Cook over medium high heat to brown the meat, turning frequently so meatballs keep their shape. If you used turkey, add some water to the pan. Cook about 15 minutes, or until all the pink is gone and all the water has evaporated. If you like the onions more well done, continue cooking another 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
To serve, cut pita bread in half. Open the pocket and place 2 meatballs inside. Add baba ghannouj. Serve immediately.
Baba ghannouj Makes 3 cups
2 large eggplants, cooked (grilled, broiled or baked)
1 cup hummus
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Peel the blackened skin from the eggplants. Place in a colander and drain.
In a medium mixing bowl, mash the eggplant with a fork. Slowly beat in the hummus until the mixture reaches the consistency of a smooth cream. Use to fill pita sandwiches, along with spicy meatballs.
Tabbouleh
Makes 8 servings
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
boiling water
6 green onions
1 large bunch parsley
several sprigs of fresh mint, if available (or 1 teaspoon dried)
3 large ripe tomatoes
DRESSING:
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons water
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Place bulgur wheat in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
In the meantime, chop all the vegetables or process them in a food processor. Don't let them get mushy or too finely chopped. Place in a large bowl. Add the drained bulgur and the dressing. Let the salad stand for several hours before serving.
Israeli-style Wilted Cucumbers Makes 8 servings
2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped dill
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoons sugar or to taste (or sugar substitute)
Layer cucumber slices in a large colander. Lightly salt each layer. Cover with an 8-inch pie pan, held down by something heavy, like a bag of dried beans. This makes the cucumbers wilt. Place this over a bowl to catch the liquid. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Remove from the refrigerator. Rinse in cold water. Place in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Add water if the dressing doesn't cover the cucumbers. Chill at least 1 hour.
Jelly-Filled Doughnuts
(Sufganiyot)
Makes 24 doughnuts
2 packets dry yeast
1/2 cup very warm water (about 115 degrees)
1 teaspoon sugar
4 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil
2 eggs
about 1 cup of thick jam or preserves
confectioners' sugar
In the bowl of your food processor, combine yeast, water and teaspoon sugar. In 5 to 10 minutes, the mixture should be bubbling. If it hasn't, discard that mixture and start again with fresh yeast.
Once the yeast mixture begins to look foamy, add the flour, salt and sugar. Process briefly. Place the orange juice, oil and eggs in a small container with a pouring spout. With the processor on, add liquid ingredients through the feed tube. Continue processing until mixture forms a soft ball. Rub a little flour into a pastry cloth. Place the dough on the cloth and knead briefly, just to smooth out the dough.
Coat a medium ceramic bowl with vegetable spray. Put the dough in it. Cover loosely with a damp dish towel and place in a warm place to rise. Let dough rise until it doubles in bulk, in about 1 1/2 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured pastry cloth. Punch it down and knead gently, to remove any air holes. Cover the dough with the bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Cut the dough in half. Divide one half in 12 pieces. Flatten a piece with the heel of your hand. Make it into a circle about 3 inches in diameter. Spoon a round teaspoon of jelly or preserves into the center of the dough. Fold over, pinch the edges and shape into a ball. Be sure to seal all the edges so the jelly doesn't leak out when you cook the doughnuts.
Coat a cookie sheet with vegetable oil spray. Place prepared doughnut on the sheet. Complete shaping and filling the other 11 dough pieces, leaving space between each doughnut for rising. Repeat with other half of the dough.
Cover shaped doughnuts loosely with a damp towel and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
To fry, heat vegetable oil to 375 degrees. You can use a deep fryer, deep saucepan, electric skillet or wok. Depending on the size and shape of your pan, heating the oil can take as long as 15 minutes, since the oil should be at least 2 inches deep.
When the oil is hot enough, place a few doughnuts into it. Do not crowd or the temperature will lower and the doughnuts will absorb too much oil. Fry about a minute and a half on each side, or until the doughnuts are puffed and golden brown. Drain well on paper towels.
To bake, heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place cookie sheets with doughnuts in oven. Bake 16 to 18 minutes, just until doughnuts are puffed and golden brown. Remove and place on wire racks to cool.
When cooked, roll doughnuts in confectioners' sugar while still warm. Serve and eat quickly.