It’s that time of year again! Hanukkah or Chanukah. (If you spell it with a “C” you’re a psychopath, sorry, I don’t make the rules) If you’re like me, this is one of the best holidays to celebrate. Usually, I am able to celebrate this particular holiday with my family and friends, but sadly it is just my friends this year around because of school. I will admit it kind of sucks to be away from them, but that doesn’t mean I can’t follow through with some of our traditions despite being miles away from home. In the case of this article, I am going to share some recipes that are must-haves for this holiday season, especially if you are away from home. In the following, I will be giving away the best recipes my family has kept over the years.
To start, we have the best recipe for Matzah ball soup. This specific recipe leans on the more inexpensive side, which is a huge plus for my fellow nearly broke college peers. (And, for my fellow Jewish peers, you know you don’t have to make it purely around the holidays, this particular soup is a miracle remedy when it comes to the cold season!) Anyways, let’s go ahead and release that soup recipe:
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken thighs with no skin
- 3 carrots sliced in wheels
- 2 stalks of celery cut in half
- 1 onion cut in half
- 1 parsnip cut in half
- 1 half of a rutabaga
- 6 cups chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Cooking method: Pressure cooker
Directions:
- Throw all ingredients listed above together into the pot of a pressure cooker
- Cook on high pressure in the pressure cooker for 20 min.
- Drain soup and add back shredded chicken (take off the bone) and the carrots
- Cook wide noodles, put in soup, and serve
In the case of this recipe, the matzah balls are made separately. I buy this box of matzah Mix (usually because I’m lazy and it’s pretty good!)
Before we hop into the Latke recipe, there are a couple of classic Hanukkah songs that should be playing while you cook your delicious meal:
Are these songs cringy? Yes. Am I still going to blast them in the kitchen while cooking? Yes. Am I going to force you to listen to them? No, but you really should. The next recipe we are going to address is that of latkes. Here we go!
Ingredients
- 1/2 yellow onion grated
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and grated
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tspn kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- oil for frying
Instructions
- After grating the onion and potatoes either with a hand grater or a food processor, drain the liquid from the grated potatoes.
- Mix the grated potatoes and onions together in a large bowl.
- Add in the flour, salt, and eggs and mix well.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place a large spoonful of the potato mix and cook in the oil for 3-5 minutes. Turn and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.
I know that there is always a craving for comfort holiday foods when the holidays roll around. In response, I thought I would share some easy recipes to satisfy these needs and wants. (I also apologize for this, but the only right dipping option is applesauce.) In conclusion, I hope these recipes serve their purpose and Happy Hanukkah!