..... and on the first night

with hanukkah now upon us, tonight being the first of the 8 nights of the celebration, there is no better way to start things than with something sweet.

this is one holiday where counting your calories will have to be put on the backburner — most foods traditionally eaten for this celebration are fried in oil or prepared with it. while it doesn't have to make up the bulk of what you are eating during the week, you can't fully enjoy this festival of lights without partaking in some of 'the good stuff'.

one of the best things which are enjoyed at this time of the year — from the sefardic side — are golden billowy fritters, called bimuelos. crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, these delicious and addictive fried irregular shapes of dough are glazed with a honey (or sugar) syrup and, as we do it, sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

the following recipe comes from my family and is very simple to make. like many sefardi recipes, it is based on the measurements of a drinking glass, wine glass or teacup, in this case a turkish teacup called 'la kupa' which equals 1/2 c or 4 oz. the recipe makes enough for three to four people (approx. 10 to 12 fritters) and is easily doubled or tripled. people tend to eat many of these so you will have to decide based on your crowd.

these bimuelos can also be made two ways: the first is the fritter (free form) way that is dropped from a spoon into the hot oil or as a type of 'doughnut' in which case the amount of flour in the recipe needs to be increased. first time makers of these fritters may want to start off with the dropped version as it is easiest.

note: this recipe is vegetarian/vegan - no eggs involved. if you are vegan, then make a sugar syrup instead of using honey (see lokma lessons).

happy hanukkah!
חג שמח
joyeuse fête des lumières!

bimuelos de hanuka

makes 10 to 12 fritters

ingredients:

1/2 c (+ 1 heaped tbsp) AP flour
1/2 tsp INSTANT yeast*
1/2 - 1 tsp sugar (i recommend 1 tsp)
good pinch of salt
1/2 c warm water
2 tsp light olive oil
grated orange zest, optional

1/3 c honey
1 - 2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp orange flower water (optional)

powdered sugar
cinnamon


*i use SAF INSTANT yeast which can be mixed directly with the flour. if you don't have it, use regular or rapid rise —> proof these types of yeast in the warm water with the sugar first and THEN add the salt, oil and the flour.

TO MAKE DONUT SHAPED ONES: increase flour to 2/3 c (you may need a little more ~ 1 to 2 tbsp). the final mixture should be slightly thicker than the above fritter one. remember the mixture will be kind of 'gloppy' once proved which is what you want but still hold a shape. see below for how to form donut shapes.

method:

make your syrup first:

in a bowl for microwave, or small pan, place the honey and water in it. stir to mix. heat it until it is hot and then add the orange flower water, if using. set this aside for later.

now make your bimuelos:

in a bowl, place flour, sugar, instant yeast and salt and mix it together. otherwise proof regular yeast first in warm water with sugar and then add the flour. if using orange zest add it also.

add the warm water to the mixture and stir well with a whisk. add the olive oil. make sure there are no lumps. the mixture will be loose and somewhat watery (unless you are making donut type bimuelos).

place plastic wrap over the bowl and put in the oven with the pilot light on. you may want to warm your oven at 150F first for 1 minute.

let the mixture proof for about 60 minutes. it should be very bubbly and have risen.


take a spoon and mix the batter. you will notice the texture is somewhat like wallpaper paste! that is what you want.

heat your oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. make sure it is hot but NOT smoking hot. if the oil is too hot or too cold, the bimuelos will be either burned or greasy and uncooked in the centers. drop a small amount of batter in the oil and see if it immediately floats and sizzles with bubbles around the dough. if it does, then proceed.

always only test one bimuelo first to check your oil.

drop the batter by tablespoon into the hot oil. it will immediately puff up. bubbles will form on the top.

wait until the top looks cooked and is not raw before turning it. if the heat is too high, remove the pan to another burner and lower your heat a little and continue frying.

turn the bimuelos over and fry both sides til golden brown.

IF MAKING DONUT shaped bimuelos, either oil your hands well or wet them with water but shake off the water. you want moist, not wet, hands. place a tablespoon or two of batter in the center of your palm and then press a hole in the middle of the dough and open it up a bit. carefully place the bimuelo in the oil. DO NOT DROP IT or you will be splattered with oil.

with a slotted spoon, remove them to a platter or cookie sheet which is well lined with paper towel. let them drain while you continue to fry the rest of the fritters.

when serving, either dip the bimuelos in the honey syrup or drizzle it over them on a platter.

optional: sprinkle powdered sugar and cinnamon over them before eating. they're really best this way! :))

ADVANCE PREPARATION TIP: while i don't recommend it, you can make these earlier in the day, frying them and storing for serving later. place them in a 350F oven on a cookie sheet. glaze them before serving. i don't recommend it simply because these are at their best served just after you make them; it is, however, still possible to do. if you are making them ahead of time, underfry them a little and finish them off when reheating in the oven.

enjoy!

mmmmuffins

breakfast.

break fast ....

i've never been one of those people who wakes up hungry. even after a full night's sleep, food isn't the first thing on my mind. no, my number one priority, after battling with the "snooze button" on my alarm clock for 20 to 30 minutes every morning, has always been caffeine — and lots of it. i need to work for my appetite to be awoken in the mornings. to this day, it amazes me how people wake up ravenously hungry .... some of them ready to bite your head off until they've sated their appetites. maybe i'm strange but the sight and smell of food in the early morning even makes me feel nauseated :o

in my feeble attempts to mend my ways (ahem....i mean become more health conscious) and eat breakfast every morning, i've been on my bran muffin "kick" — a mouth full of bran cereal is enough to choke anyone to death, so one might as well get it in a more palatable form :)

muffins.

ok, muffins and i have never had a great love affair ..... especially healthy ones. one day, a while back, i came across a recipe which looked decent. i was leary of the results the first time i tried this recipe; low-fat stuff usually tastes like crap. these, however, are pretty damned good for what they are in terms of ingredients. they make anywhere from 8 to 12 and freeze great in ziploc sandwich bags to grab for the those busy mornings when you're on the run. give 'em a try to see for yourself — and remember: these ones won't leave that big stain of grease on your napkin!


walnut & date bran muffins

makes 8 to 12, depending on size of muffin tins

wet ingredients:

1 c applesauce
1 egg
2/3 c {clabbered} soymilk or milk*, or buttermilk
1/3 c brown sugar, packed
1/4 c molasses or sorghum or brown rice syrup
1/4 c oil
1 tsp vanilla

*if clabbering the soymilk or milk, you will need 3 tsp of white vinegar. if using buttermilk then you don't need to do this.

dry ingredients:

1 c all purpose flour + 1 c whole wheat flour
1 c all bran (cereal)**
1 tsp baking soda (not baking powder)
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/2 - 2/3 c chopped walnuts
1/2 - 2/3 c chopped dates (i use ~10 to 12 dates)

**you can use any bran cereal, as long as it's 100% bran

method:

preheat oven to 375F and grease or line muffin tins.

if you are not using buttermilk, then you need to clabber your soymilk or regular milk. this means you are adding an acid to it (vinegar) which will thicken the milk and make it react with the baking soda to make the muffins rise during baking. note that when you clabber soymilk, it does not thicken as much as regular milk; it still works fine however.

place the soymilk or milk in a bowl and add 3 tsp of white vinegar. let it sit while you measure the dry & wet ingredients.

after you have measured all the ingredients, the mixture will have thickened and will appear curdled. this is what you are looking for.

mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.

mix all the wet ingredients and stir to combine. add the buttermilk or the clabbered (soy) milk and stir again.

add the wet mixture to the dry and stir to combine. make sure to stir it well but do not overmix.

add the walnuts and chopped dates and let the mixture sit for a minimum of 5 minutes. this is important: you need the bran cereal to absorb some of the liquid.

after 5 minutes, measure out equally into muffin tins and bake for 30 to 35. turn down the oven to 350 during the last 10 minutes.

let cool or eat warm. these can be frozen for later use.

enjoy!

banana business

it goes without saying that there are probably a million or more recipes for banana breads around — everyone having his/her own favourite version. banana bread is something which i only really make whenever i have bananas that are fully ripe or over-ripened and while it's not an item i'd runnnn to the kitchen to bake on a regular basis, it is one of those staple kind of any-time-of-the-day snacking cakes, good for mid morning coffee breaks or late night kitchen raids which i do enjoy baking a few times a year.

the following recipe, which comes from a friend, is as particularly good as it is surprising since there are no dairy products in it or is there very much fat to speak of. in fact, it only uses 1/3 c of oil for a whole loaf. most of the moisture is provided by the bananas themselves and the honey content. the loaf will stay perfectly good for up to 5 or 6 days, if well-wrapped. it can be sliced and frozen for longer keeping if you like.

if you're organized, this recipe shouldn't take much time at all to throw together. having things premeasured and the baking pan ready saves you a lot of time. in terms of ingredients, i've added pecans and chocolate chips to the recipe; you can use either, both or none at all and just serve it plain. if you don't have pecans, you can use chopped walnuts. the recipe also uses part whole wheat flour — so, if you're thinking, "yuck!", don't ..... it's quite the opposite. it's healthier and tastes just as good as using only all purpose flour.


no nonsense banana bread

makes 1 loaf

ingredients:

1 c wholewheat + 3/4 c AP flour (or 1 3/4 c all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

2 large bananas, very ripe (or 3 small-ish ones)
2 large eggs (or egg replacement)

1/3 c vegetable oil
1/3 c honey (or brown rice syrup)
1/2 c (soft) brown sugar, packed

optional:

1/2 c coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/3 - 1/2 c chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

method:

in large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and soda and salt. set aside.

peel and mash the bananas in another bowl. add the eggs and mix all together well.

in another bowl, mix together the oil, honey and brown sugar. it is easiest to measure the oil first and then the honey - it will slip right out of the measuring cup. at this point, you can mix this into the eggs and banana mixture or keep it separate. either way works. just make sure there are no hard bits of brown sugar (that won't dissolve) as you want the mixture to be uniform. if your brown sugar is not fully soft, you can microwave it (covered) for 15 to 20 seconds first to soften it up.

measure out the nuts and chocolate chips, if using.

before mixing everything together, preheat your oven to 325F and well grease a regular sized loaf pan (approx 8" x 5").

mix the wet ingredients into the dry and combine until all is blended together. do not overmix.

add the nuts and chocolate chips and pour into your greased pan (or muffin pan).

bake at 325 F for approx. 1 1/4 hrs or until the center is cooked -- test with a toothpick.

let cool for at least 20 min before removing.

stays good for several days and can be sliced and frozen.

enjoy!

reruns no. 3 — return of the knish

quite a while ago, i posted a recipe for basic potato knishes in which the dough i used was more of a softer (somewhat) bread-like one — and not the more calorie-laden flaky pastry type casing. while there is nothing wrong with the former knish dough used in the original posting, most people want one which is almost pastry-like.

for those unfamiliar with these typically jewish appetizers or snacks, knishes can be formed from doughs of several types: a flaky pastry one, a puff pastry one, a short crusted one (mock puff pastry), a paper thin strudel type one, or as i posted a more bread-y type.

for this 'recipe rerun', and as requested by several people, i am posting two additional recipes. both are great, quite easy to make and result with fantastic finished knishes. the recipes come from the prolific and well known jewish cookbook author, norene gilletz — a fellow canadian. check out her site and recipes :)

the recipe for potato-onion filling can be found in the original post i did. you can use whatever fillings you like as long as they do not "run" while baking. popular fillings are potato, buckwheat (kasha), mushroom, various vegetable and even meat ones.


flaky pastry dough for knishes
aka flaky ginger ale pastry

this is a very easy-to-put-together and always successful dough, especially if done in a food processor. it can be frozen for later use. its success is in the use of a carbonated liquid for the 'wet' ingredient. see the recipe for options.

makes enough for 12 knishes (recipe can be doubled)

dough ingredients:

1 c plus 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 c frozen margarine* (1 stick), cut in 8 pieces
1/4 c cold carbonated beverage** — ginger ale or 7 UP or carbonated water
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

*margarine is used in order to adhere to jewish dietary laws as these are often served at meals with meat; you can try butter but i can't guarantee results as i've never tried it.
**do NOT use regular water or diet drinks

filling ingredients:

see here

method:

before starting, take note that you will not (most likely) need ALL of the wet ingredients, so do not be overzealous and add all of it at once or you'll have a mess and a ruined recipe. you've been forewarned! :)

if you cut the margarine into 8 pieces and put them on a plastic wrap lined plate, they freeze within an hour or so. if you freeze the whole block, it takes much longer.

in a food processor or bowl, combine the flour with the frozen margarine.

process it with pulses or use a pastry cutter in the bowl to make a crumbly mixture. you don't want any chunks.

in a small pyrex, combine the carbonated drink with the vinegar.

slowly add the wet to the dry a tablespoon at a time until you get a somewhat (rounded) ball of dough. if using the food processor, turn it on and steadily add the liquid and process until it JUST starts to make the ball.

discard the remaining wet ingredients.

take the dough and divide it equally in half on a floured board.

make two discs and wrap them in waxed paper or plastic wrap. you can do this directly on them.

refrigerate the dough discs or freeze them. if refrigerating, wait a good 2 1/2 to 3 hours for it to fully chill to make rolling easy. you can leave them overnight.

defrost, if frozen, until pliable and still cold.


forming your knishes:

for this dough, make an 8" x 12" rectangle only. it doesn't sound quite big enough but it is.

make sure your counter is well floured and don't be too rough with it. flouring the dough is essential to success here. i also find rolling it out between two pieces of parchment or wax paper the easiest and cleanest method; your dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin.

if you cannot get an exact rectangle that is 8 x 12, use your hands to shape the borders.

take the appropriate amount of filling (it should measure about 1.5 to 2 inches in width and run the length of the piece of dough) and place it evenly along the long side of the dough, leaving about a 1/2" border or so just before the filling. leave about a 1/2 inch border on either side also.

carefully roll it up fairly tightly. use the wax paper as a guide and tool as such:

grab the bottom edge of the waxed paper and pull it up and over to cover the filling.

continue rolling using the paper to guide the direction and correct the tension.

use the wax paper to tighten the roll as necessary. continue rolling until you get to the top edge.

why use wax paper and not just roll it without? the dough is delicate when rolled thinly. it makes rolling very easy and lowers the risk for screw-ups.

seal the edges lightly!

the finished roll .....


preheat your oven to 350F.

now the fun part: cutting the dough. traditionally, this is done with the side of your hand and NOT a knife. it is done in a sawing motion back and forth. this serves to seal the knishes.

as you do this, you will fuse the edges.

cut the knishes with your hand equally into 6 pieces per disc of dough. make a rough "guess-timate" with your eye before going ahead and making them too large.


place the cut knishes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. you can seal up the tops and press them in slightly.

bake the knishes (no egg wash) for about 40 minutes or until nicely golden. keep an eye on them.

golden brown and completely delicious! :))

* * * * * * *

warm water knish dough

makes enough for 24 knishes

this recipe makes a very pliable and easy to work dough. it uses eggs and warm water and is like a strudel dough which is very thin. you need a large (11 c) food processor to make the full recipe. if you have a small one, make 1/2 recipe at a time or 2 batches.

ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 c oil
1/2 c warm water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2.5 c all purpose flour

method:

in a food processor, put the eggs, oil and water. mix until blended.

add the remaining salt, baking powder and flour and process ONLY JUST until it is blended. do NOT process it for longer or it will not work: you do not want to develop the elasticity of the gluten.


remove the dough and cut it in 4 equal sections. cover the pieces you are not working with and keep them apart from each other or they will fuse together again. best to keep them on a lightly floured plate or plates.

take one piece of dough and flour it well all over. coax the dough, on a well floured board or counter, into a rough rectangle.

roll out the dough, keeping the shape of a rectangle, as thinly possible. you should be able to see your hands underneath it.

again, place your filling along the long side of the dough keeping a 1/2 inch border.

roll up the dough and cut it using a sawing motion with your hand as in the previous recipe.


place them on an oiled or lined sheet & bake your knishes at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden.

enjoy!

n.b. for both recipes, you can freeze your unbaked knishes and bake them directly frozen at 350F for about 3/4 of an hour. i can't guarantee 100% perfection with the potato filled ones, though. potatoes don't tend to freeze well.

thanks norene!