Posts Tagged “holiday”
Chanukah, a fairly minor holiday in Israel and most other Jewish communities around the world, got amped up in America in the late 19th Century when some Reform rabbis decided Jewish Americans need a little more Christmas. And since then Chanukah has gone totally steroid with marketing, gifts, decorations and parties.
How do you make this matzo stuff taste good? We think we found a way. Mr. FB has become known for “his” matzo. It’s actually a New York Times recipe that includes olive oil for better flavor and leaves out the Rabbinic supervision for ease of making.
Everyone and their cousin who is stupid enough to be out at restaurants at those times is likely to encounter crowds, limited menus, staff who would rather be elsewhere, and food that is not the best the kitchen puts out. It’s not a rule, but without question both you and I have encountered the good, the bad and the ugly. This year turned out to be pretty darn good.
There is a particular theme to almost all Jewish holidays: “They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat.” Hanukah is no exception. So in that spirit and to appreciate the importance of oil in saving the traditional way of practicing Judaism, one way Hanukah gets celebrated in by cooking things in oil: most notably and traditionally, latkes.
We’ve taken it one better, by adding parsnips to the potatoes and (hallelujah!) cooking them in duck fat.
The FoodBeest wants you to have a festive holiday season with yummy foods. Here are two good new party foods for you. The first is a seasonal Pear and Cheese Flatbread. The second is a Siracha Mary Shrimp: a cross between a Siracha blood mary and a 21st Century shrimp cocktail. Both are fast and easy. Both are forgiving if you do something “wrong.” Both are finger foods. Both are yummy.
When I started thinking about party food in general and finger party food, in particular, I went combing through cookbooks and the Internet for recipes. I found recipes that were old and new; some were good and others maybe not so good.
I have never done a brisket in a crock-pot before. I came across a brisket recipe from that famous old Jewish kucher, Emeril Lagasse, I decided to try it. Crock-pot style.
