Celebrate the Festival of Lights, Florida Style
Featured image: Giant, public menorah lighting ceremonies have become newer tradition for celebrating Hanukkah.
Hanukkah, which will take place December 14 to 22 this year, is the eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt. It is celebrated as a Festival of Lights by lighting a menorah, with a new candle for each of the eight nights to remember the miracle of a small amount of oil that lasted for the entire period. The holiday also involves traditions like playing the dreidel game, and eating foods like latkes and sufganiyot (donuts) – preferably on my patio where my menorah is lit and chocolate gelt (coins) are shared.
You can order local holiday foods from Jo-Els, frozen from Trader Joe’s, or traditional favorites from Zabar’s – either topped with applesauce or sour cream. Purists disagree – it’s sort of like gin vs. vodka for martini aficionados. I prefer to make latkes my mother’s way. Yiddish for pancake, a latke is typically made of potato and fried in oil to celebrate the Hanukkah miracle. You can also make latkes with cheese, carrot, or zucchini.
For the holiday meal, I always consult Joan Nathan’s The Jewish Holiday Kitchen. Nathan prefers her potato-zucchini latke recipe paired with applesauce with cranberry on the side. Her chosen dessert, orange rosemary olive oil cake, is a reminder, she says, that olive oil “became endowed with the idea of the Maccabees.” Add a wine-braised brisket and roasted winter vegetables for an earthy deliciousness.
Singing songs, dancing, lighting candles, and playing dreidel are a big part of Hanukkah. A menorah is special – mine belonged to my parents and is a music box that plays “Hatikvah.”
Get the family going in a classic dreidel game. The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top made of wood, plastic, or the proverbial clay. On the four sides of the dreidel appear four letters from the Hebrew alphabet: nun (נ), gimmel (ג), hey (ה), and shin (ש). These four letters are an acronym for “nes gadol hayah sham,” which translates to “a great miracle happened there.” Decide on your currency – nuts, pennies, nickels, chocolate coins, or just about anything else – and divide equally among the players. Everyone takes a turn at spinning the dreidel; the one with the highest spin has first turn. (Nun is highest, then gimmel, hey, and shin.) If there is a tie for highest, those who tied spin again. Everyone puts one unit of the currency (penny, nut, etc) into the pot. The one who has first turn is followed in clockwise direction by all the others
In celebration of the holiday, there are many local events both public and at synagogues. Local events, such as the Car Menorah Parade hosted by the Chabad Jewish Center of Greater St. Petersburg, are still being discussed at press time. Congregation B’nai Israel St. Petersburg’s Chase the Dreidel 5K is a hoot. On December 8 at 4 pm, chase a life-sized dreidel spinning down the streets of St. Petersburg and the Pinellas County Trail leading all runners through a flat, fast, professionally timed racecourse followed by a Hanukkah-themed buffet.
Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate! Light the menorah, spin the dreidel, and celebrate the miracle with a little latke.
Want more Hanukkah? Find events at cbistpete.org/hanukkahhappenings
Traditional Latkes
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 five minutes until golden brown. Turn and fry on other side for two to three minutes.
Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Continue with remaining batter until used, adding more oil when necessary. Serve with applesauce or sour cream on the side.
Variation: Zucchini or Carrot Latkes; substitute 5 medium zucchini or 5 medium carrots for potatoes.
