Hanukkah Treats

 It's time for traditional treats with tonight being the first night of Hanukkah.Nothing beats a kugel along with latkes for at home parties. These are a fun way to celebrate the Festival Of Lights, with good food that's easy to make.

Both Melissa Clark and Joan Nathan gave their version of traditional Jewish food in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Melissa Clark tries her hand at Yerushalmi kugel which can be made with traditional egg noodles or angel hair pasta. what makes this different than the usual fare is the two and a quarter teaspoons of black pepper to give it bite and zing. The recipe is from Adeena Sussman's cookbook Sababa: Fresh Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen. Ms Sussman grew up in California coming from an observant Jewish home but fell for this kugel or noodle cake during a trip to Jerusalem as a teenager. She fell for the it's chewy  sweet pepperiness and its' texture. The last has a crunchy exterior and a soft chewy interior. According to Ms Clark, there is a slight problem with making the caramel which is a cooked mix of any mild oil such as vegetable, grapeseed or sunflower and white sugar.The noodles are cooked and mixed with  six (!) eggs and the pepper. The caramel is poured over this in a Dutch oven which already has two tablespoons of heated oil and baked for an hour and fifteen minute to an hour and a half. It can be served on its' own or with a roast chicken or cooked greens.

Latkes are a holiday must . Regular Times Food section contributor Joan Nathan, She offers a recipe that borrows from the Swiss recipe rosti. Her potato pancakes are crisp on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside.Chef Nathaniel Wade who created it at Misery Love Company , a restaurant he ran with his sister and brother-in-law in Winooski, Vermont. The potatoes are first baked before being grated with a box grater. Use the large hole side. You could use a food processor. Just remove the potato skins first. These are different in the sense that there are no binders like eggs, matzoh meal or even onions.After seasoning with just salt and pepper  squeeze the grated potatoes into patties. These are put on a plate and chilled overnight in the fridge.The latkes are fried in canola oil, only for three or four minutes per side. Transfer the cooked ones to a paper bag or paper towels to drain. Ms. Nathan suggest serving them  hot , topped with smoked salmon atop creme fraiche or sour cream. You could just serve them plain but with a spiced apple sauce on the side.

Hanukkah is a time of good foods and fun. Celebrate with a peppery twist on kugel or melt in your mouth latkes. Both are tasty treats that bring joy and light during this Festival of Light.