On Thursday December 10, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah or Chanukah began. As Chabad.org describes: “Chanukah is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime ‘festival of lights,’ celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers, and fried foods.” Some examples of the delicious food eaten during Hanukkah include Rugelach and Potato Latkes. We hope you like the recipes and try them out!

Rugelach:

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup bittersweet chocolate
• 1⁄4 cup melted butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and 1⁄4 cup sugar until smooth. Combine flour slowly until dough forms.
3. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa, cinnamon, 1⁄2 cup sugar, and grated bittersweet chocolate.
4. Retrieve dough from the refrigerator and divide into four balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle, 1⁄8 – 1⁄4 in. thick.
5. Spread melted butter on the dough and sprinkle 1⁄4 of the chocolate mixture onto the dough.
6. Roll the dough from the long edge into a log. Cut into 1-inch thick pieces and repeat with another 3 pieces of dough as wished. This recipe should produce 48 rugelach total.
7. Place pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, between 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Chag urim sameach!

Potato Latkes:

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 2 lbs (1 kg) potatoes
• 1⁄2 a medium onion
• Oil for frying
• A cheesecloth (or any type of cotton fabric that can be used for straining)
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel and grate the potatoes. Rinse them in a bowl of cold water and press gently.
2. Drain the potato shreds and place them on a cheesecloth. Grate the onion into the potato shreds, and twist to ring out excess liquid.
3. Place the potato and onion mixture in a bowl and mix with a fork to combine.
4. Pour oil into a skillet up to about 1⁄4 inch. Heat until the oil reaches about 360°F. While the oil is heating add eggs, salt, and pepper to potatoes and mix.
5. Scoop about 1⁄4 cup of the potato mixture into the oil. Fry in batches of three, about 2-3 minutes per side. Flip when golden brown.
6. Remove to a paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve with sour cream or applesauce.

Chanukah Sameach!

Hadleigh Zinsner ‘21, Contributing Writer & Neha Sunkara ‘21, Food Editor 

21hzinsner@montroseschool.org  & 21nsunkara@montroseschool.org