Traditional Chanukah Recipes

Traditional Chanukah Doughnuts (Krapfen in Vienna) Of course the best things are always homemade, but rumor has it that those sold at BAKERY OHEL MOSHE • 1020 Vienna  Hollandstrasse 7 •Tel.: 01/214 67 17, are delicious. . Ingredients:  1 ¾ ounces fresh yeast  1 ½ cups warm water  1 Tbsp. sugar  3 eggs  ½ cup oil  ½ cup sugar  ½ cup non dairy creamer  1 tsp. Vanilla extract  1 tsp. Grated lemon peel  6 to 7 cups of flour  Also:  Oil for frying  Confectioners' sugar  USE: 2-quart pot  YIELDS: 5 to 6 dozen doughnuts  In a large mixer bowl: place eggs, oil, sugar, nondairy creamer, vanilla, and grated lemon peel. Add yeast mixture; add flour until soft dough is formed. (Dough need not be dry; it should be softer than challah dough.) Knead for a few minutes. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1-½ hours. Roll out dough ½-inch thick on floured surface. Cut out circles with a doughnut cutter.  Place 2 or 3 inches oil in a 2-quart saucepan and heat over a medium flame until hot. Place four doughnuts at a time in the oil. Brown on one side and then on the other. Remove with slotted spoon. Drain and cool on paper towels. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Note: To test if dough is ready for rolling, place a small piece in a glass of water-if the dough floats to the top, it is ready. Chanukah Latkes (Potato Pancakes) Ingredients: 5 large potatoes, peeled  1 large onion  3 eggs  1/3 cup flour  1 tsp. Salt  ¼ tsp. pepper  ¾ cup oil for frying  Use: 10-inch skillet  Yields: 4 to 6 servings  Grate potatoes and onion on the fine side of a grater, or in a food processor; or put in a blender with a little water. Strain grated potatoes and onion through a colander, pressing out excess water. Add eggs, flour, and seasoning. Mix well. Heat ½ cup oil in skillet. Lower flame and place 1 large tablespoon batter at a time into hot sizzling oil and fry on one side for approximately 5 minutes until golden brown. Turn over and fry on other side 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Continue with remaining batter until used up, adding more oil when necessary. Serve with applesauce on the side.  Variation: Zucchini or Carrot Latkes: Substitute 5 medium zucchini or 5 medium carrots for potatoes.  Applesauce A great accompaniment to latkes.  4 pounds apples  1 lemon  2 cinnamon sticks  ½ cup apple juice, cider or water  Honey, brown sugar or maple syrup to taste.  Quarter the apples and the lemon. Place in a heavy pot with the cinnamon sticks. Add apple juice, cider or water. Cover, bring to a boil, and then simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to turn the apples and making sure they do not stick. You may want to add some liquid. Cook about 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Remove cinnamon sticks. Put the sauce through a food mill and adjust seasoning by adding honey, brown sugar or maple syrup to taste. Glowing Menorah Cake Source: "The Jewish Festival Cookbook" by Fannie Engle and Gertrude Blair 3 cups sifted flour  1/2 teaspoon salt  4 teaspoons baking powder  3/4 cup vegetable fat  1 1/2 cups sugar  3 eggs, separated  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla  1 cup milk (or if you want the cake to be pareve, orange juice)  1. Mix and sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder, three times. 2. Cream the fat and add sugar gradually; blend thoroughly. 3. Add the egg yolks and the vanilla and beat until puffing with air. 4. Add the flour mix and the liquid alternately, about one third at a time, starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Beat until smooth after each addition. 5. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the mixture. 6. Take a 13" by 9" by 2" pan; grease it, line it with paper, and grease it again. Put batter in pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until evenly brown, slightly shrunk away from the pan, and until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. 7. Turn it out, strip off the paper, and cool cake right side up. 8. When it's totally cold, frost over the top with white icing. With icing that has been tinted a golden yellow, outline a menorah on the frosted cake with a pastry tube or tooth pick. Make eight slight elevations or cups with the frosting to serve as candle holders. Insert eight candles in the cups and light at serving time. Katowes Cake Source: "The Jewish Festival Cookbook" by Fannie Engle and Gertrude Blair NOTE: Katowes is an old riddle-puzzle game that must be answered in numbers totaling 44, the number of ingredients in the cake which is the total number of candles lighted during Chanukah   16 TBS (1 cup) flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. grated orange rind 3 eggs 16 oz (1 cup) sugar 7 TBS. Orange juice Sift flour, baking powder and orange peels until well mixed. Set aside. In a large bowl mix beat the eggs for ten minutes or until very thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in the sugar until light and very thick. Fold this into the flour mixture 1/3 at a time. Gently fold in the orange juice. Turn into a well greased 9” fluted tube pan and bake in preheated oven of 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until you can put a toothpick in center and it comes out clean. Cool in the pan and then invert on a rack, removing it from the pan. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Serves 12.

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