Consider this your own personal welcome into our Jews for Jesus family kitchens. (Can you smell the potatoes frying?) We’ve loved gathering with friends and family around full tables over the years. And now, these recipes can be yours too!

Some might say, “Why do all Jewish holidays revolve around food?” It’s true that we’ve often summed up our history like this: “They tried to kill us. God/we won. Let’s eat!”

And at the first Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), the Jewish people not only survived but succeeded in taking back the Temple and rededicating it to God.

So, we keep that in mind and remember all the blessings that he’s given, as we gather around to light the menorah and enjoy special foods.

Oh, and please exercise care when cooking with oil. But don’t let carefulness stop you from frying all the things. After all, it’s a mitzvah.

Apple Streusel Kugel

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Noodles, streusel, apples, and custard. Yes, it sounds weird—in fact, most people approach their first kugel with understandable skepticism. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Time: 1½ hours (plus ½ hour of holding your family back while it cools)

Kugel Ingredients:

16 oz pkg egg noodles
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup applesauce (just enough applesauce to give it a subtle apple-y flavor, but not enough to take over the whole custard)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup granulated sugar

No-Stress Streusel Topping Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1 Tbs cinnamon
Pinch salt
6 Tbs butter, melted

Supplies Needed:

9×13 baking dish
Aluminum foil
Hand mixer

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside to drain and cool slightly.

Mix together the remaining kugel ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Place pasta in a 9×13 baking dish. Add egg mixture to pasta; mix until incorporated.

Cover with aluminum foil; bake in a preheated oven at 325°F for 30 minutes, or until custard is set (no longer runny).

While kugel is cooking, prepare streusel topping by mixing dry ingredients together and melting butter. (Yes, you can skip the pastry cutter!)

When kugel comes out of the oven, sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top. Pour melted butter evenly over the dish.

Place back in the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Let cool; serve for dessert. Or breakfast. We won’t tell.

Chicken Schnitzel

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Of course, latkes can be a meal by themselves. But we think our ancestors would have recommended a little protein too. So consider this Ashkenazi fried chicken if you’d like to follow their example!
Chicken Schnitzel

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 eggs
Olive oil

Method:

Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl.

Beat eggs in another bowl.

Cut chicken breasts into 2–3 pieces each, if desired, then pound until they are about ¼-inch thick.

Heat olive oil in skillet.

Coat chicken in bread crumb mixture, then dip in egg, then coat a second time in breadcrumbs.

Layer chicken in skillet (you may need to do this in two batches to avoid overcrowding). Fry for about 5 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Serve with veggies and your favorite dipping sauce!

Latkes

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Our recipe skips the most laborious step: peeling, which makes it easier to make never-ending batches!
From The Jews for Jesus Family Cookbook by Melissa Moskowitz.
Yield: 5-6 servings

Time: 1 hour (including draining time)

Ingredients

4 large potatoes, scrubbed and left unpeeled
1 medium onion
3 small eggs or egg substitute
1/3 cup flour (for Passover, these can be made with 1/4 cup matzah meal)
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil, for frying
applesauce or sour cream (or catsup)

Supplies Needed:

Large mixing bowl
Food processor
Colander
Large skillet
Paper towels for draining

Method:

Grate potatoes with the onion, either by hand (if you have the energy and the knuckles!) or in a food processor using the steel blade.

You should have a mixture with the consistency of coarsely chopped apples for applesauce.

Place potatoes and onions in a colander and drain over the sink for at least 30 minutes.

When drained, put the mixture in a large bowl and mix in eggs and flour (or matzah meal). Season with salt and pepper.

Pour vegetable oil to ¼-inch depth in a heavy skillet. Heat until very hot but not smoking.

Spoon batter into skillet, flattening pancakes into 3-inch ovals. Fry until deep-golden-brown and crisp on both sides. Repeat with all the mixture.

Lay several newspapers on kitchen counter, cover with several paper towels, and place cooked pancakes on this to drain.

Serve immediately, or if you have to, keep warm in a 400°F oven (they will lose some of their crispness, but will taste just as good).

Makes 24 latkes. Serve with applesauce or sour cream (or catsup).

Sugar Cookies

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You might think, “Hey, aren’t these just Christmas cookies cut in the shape of a Star of David?” And you might be right. But we’re okay with that.

Yield:
Enough to let your family sneak some dough from the bowl, help the kids in your life decorate a plate or two, and gift some to the neighbors. These cookies are the gift that keeps on giving—kind of like the miracle of the oil. In other words, about 5 dozen.

Time: 2ish hours (including cutting, rolling, and decorating time)

Cookie Ingredients:

2 cups butter, softened (extra butter guarantees these will roll out well)
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
5 cups flour

Frosting Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar

Supplies Needed:

Extra flour, for dusting
Rolling pin
Hanukkah-inspired cookie cutters
Spatulas for spreading frosting
Sprinkles and gel for decorating if desired
Baking pan (lining pans with parchment paper makes baking quicker and cleaner)

Method:

For cookie dough, blend sugar and butter together well. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in baking soda, salt, and flour.

Place the dough on a floured surface; roll out to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut cookies into shapes and arrange them on your baking pan.

Bake at 375°F for about 6–8 minutes (cooking time varies according to your oven and to how thick/thin you roll out the dough).

Allow cookies to cool for about one hour.

While cooling, make frosting by blending together all ingredients.

Have a cookie-decorating party. Happy Hanukkah!

Sufganiyot

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Because nothing says “Hanukkah” like burnt fingertips.

Yield: Approximately three dozen doughnuts

Time: 4–5 hours from start to delish

Ingredients:

½ cup warm milk or water
2 tsp rapid-rising yeast
¼ cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
½ cup oil or melted butter
3½–4 cups flour
Your favorite jam, Nutella, or other filling
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top

Supplies Needed:

A deep pot for frying (cast iron or a Dutch oven works well)
Rolling pin
Round cookie cutter (an inverted 8-oz jar or cup works too)
Tongs for turning the doughnuts while frying
A fine mesh sieve for sprinkling powdered sugar
A million paper towels to clean up the oil when you’re done (we’ll plant a tree later)

Method:

Bring milk or water to a lukewarm temperature and add yeast. Set yeast mixture aside to proof (allow it to start bubbling) while prepping other ingredients.

Mix eggs with salt, sugar, nutmeg, and oil or melted butter in a large mixing bowl.

Add yeast mixture to egg mixture. Stir well. Add flour, starting with 3½ cups and adding more as necessary till the mixture takes on the consistency of bread dough. (The dough should clean the sides of the bowl as you knead.) Continue kneading until smooth.

Remove the dough, lightly oil the bowl, and place the dough back in the bowl. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 2–3 hours (until doubled in size).

Call your bubbe and ask her how to fry doughnuts. If you don’t have a bubbe, keep reading.

Once the dough has doubled, plop it onto a large, floured surface (like your kitchen table) and roll it out with a floured rolling pin to about ¼-inch thickness.

Cut out circular shapes of dough. Place a spoonful of jam into the center of one circle, then press another circle on top (a bit of water around the edges can help the dough stick together). Set your prepped doughnuts on a pan or plate to rise again for about 30 minutes.

While waiting for doughnuts to rise, heat your oil in the pan over medium heat. If you sprinkle a bit of water into the pot and it hisses at you, it’s hot enough for frying!

Drop 4–5 doughnuts at a time into the pot. Cook them for 5–6 minutes, flipping once during cooking (they should turn a nice golden brown and fluff up a bit).

Set cooked doughnuts on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Using your sieve, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Best while still warm. Beteavon!

Tostones

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Plantains are sweeter and denser than regular bananas, and they cook up nicely in this Sephardic twist on everything fried!

Yield: 4–5 servings

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2-3 green (unripe) plantains
Vegetable oil
Salt
Juice of 1 lime

Method:

Peel plantains; slice into ½-inch thick rounds.

Cover bottom of frying pan or cast iron skillet with oil; heat just until sizzling.

Place one layer of plantain slices around pan, taking care that they have a little wiggle room so you can flip them. Fry for about 2 minutes on each side.

Remove plantain slices from pan and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Press slices down gently with the bottom of a drinking glass or jar to flatten.

Reheat oil if necessary and fry the slices a second time for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown and crispy.

Remove from heat; sprinkle with salt and drizzle with lime juice. Enjoy!

Wishing peace and light to you and yours this season. Chag Sameach!

Download Hanukkah Recipes Collection