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A Very Dairy Hanukkah

December 17, 2008
By Debby Segura

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Some people like to celebrate Hanukkah with a Dairy meal. That's probably why there are Pareve and Dairy Hanukkah Gelt! And dairy is great, but as we all know, cooking dairy can be very time consuming. And the goal of any Hanukkah meal is to relax and enjoy the holiday, so I've taken the liberty of mapping out a second menu for Hanukkah. This is a great after work or after school meal any time of year, but it's especially fun and wholesome to eat all these veggies right in the middle of winter. Yum!

The game plan goes like this: The day before, do your shopping. Prepare the ciabatta dipping sauces, the salad (as described below), cook the soup and refrigerate it overnight. When you come home for Hanukkah the next night, put the soup on the stove to warm up, and then take the ciabatta dipping sauces, salad dressing, salad ingredients and donut hole dips out of the refrigerator so they adjust to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350. Put the donut dipping sauces on to warm, as described below. Set the table! Get out the dreydels. Start with the salad. When the soup is almost ready, pop the bread in the oven for 5 minutes to warm it up. Done!


(c) 2008 Debby Segura. Debby Segura holds an AB in Design from UCLA. She designs dinnerware and she teaches and writes about cooking. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children. Visit her at www.debbysegura.com

Menu II


Serves 8/Dairy



Ciabatta

The night before, buy one or two Ciabatta breads, or if you cannot find them, two French or sourdough baguettes. Have virgin olive oil on hand.

For one dipping sauce, in a small ramekin or custard cup, pour 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add 2 minced cloves of garlic and a pinch of fresh or dried rosemary and some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

For another dipping sauce, in a food processor or blender, combine 1 minced garlic clove, a pinch of dried oregano and red dried chili flakes with a drained 14 ounce jar of (drained) green olives. Puree with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until you have a chunky paste. Cover and refrigerate.


Antipasto Salad

DRESSING:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, garlic powder, dried basil and oregano

SALAD:
1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 large head Romaine lettuce, cleaned, dried and cut into bite sized pieces
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 yellow pepper, cut in long thin strips
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into ½" cubes

The night before, make the dressing. Put the garbanzo beans in a jar with about half of the dressing. Shake well. Refrigerate the dressing, the beans, and all of the other prepared salad ingredients.

Right before serving, place the lettuce in a large salad bowl with the tomatoes, pepper and cubes of cheese. Pour the dressing on the salad and toss. Sprinkle the savory garbanzos on top.


Minestrone Soup

2 cups cooked or canned great northern or cannellini beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
12 cups water
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried basil
½ cup cooked basmati rice
½ cup uncooked small pasta (such as orzo)
1 cup diced zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

In a heavy soup pan, over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until just wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, parsley and garlic and saute, stirring, for 3 minutes longer. Add the water, the beans (first drain and rinse), tomatoes with their juice, and basil. Stir to mix well. Cover partially and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Rinse basmati rice and add to pot with the zucchini. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add pasta with an additional cup of water if necessary. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve hot. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.


Donut Hole Dipping Bar

As easy as assembly (no cooking required). So easy, you might want to serve it more than one night of Chanukah.

2 or 3 boxes of Entemann's Donut Holes in 2 or 3 different flavors.

2 jars of ice cream toppings (I'd get Dulce de Leche and Hot Fudge, but this is a very personal decision!)

1 jar seedless raspberry jam

On the stove, gently heat a large sauce pan with the 3 jars in it (loosen the lids and leave ajar) and 2 inches of water, and simmer while you all eat dinner. If you want to get fancy, use long fancy toothpicks to spear each hole. Have a small platter of the donut holes, and display the heated toppings in ramekins. If you want to do more, put out a ramekin of sprinkles and a ramekin of chopped nuts or mini-chocolate chips, too!


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