by Joan Nathan

We scoured the ‘net for a lowfat soufganiyot recipe for our calorie conscious Jewish Hostesses and we found Joan Nathan’s great recipe

to share. I wasnt sure if my kids would love the apricot filling so I bought caramel and custard filling from Kitchen Caboodles on Avenue P in Brooklyn.

Enjoy!

Baked Soufganiyot–Low Fat Israeli Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts

This recipe serves:  24

• 1 package dry yeast (1 scant tablespoon)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (approximately)
• 1 cup lukewarm skim milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• pinch of salt
• grated zest of one lemon
• 3 tablespoons reduced fat butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup apricot jam  or caramel, chocolate, or custard filling.
• confectioner’s or granulated sugar for rolling

1. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in the water.

2. Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor equipped with a steel blade. Add the dissolved yeast, milk, egg, egg yolk, salt, lemon zest and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Process until blended. Add the butter and process until the dough becomes sticky yet elastic.

3. Remove the dough to a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for at least an hour. If you want to prepare the dough in advance, place it in the refrigerator overnight, then let it warm to room temperature before rolling and cutting.

4. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Dust a pastry board with flour. Roll the dough out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using the top of a glass as a cutter, cut into rounds about 2-inches in diameter and roll these into balls. Place the balls about 1 to 1 1/2-inches apart on the greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise 30 minutes more.

5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the doughnuts for 12 to 15 minutes or until they’re golden. Remove from the oven and let cool.

6. Soften the jam in a food processor. Using an injector, insert a teaspoon of jam into each doughnut. Roll the soufganiyot in confectioner’s or granulated sugar and serve immediately.

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My sister in law Allegra is famous for her Hanuka and Purim parties. She puts extra special effort into making these holidays exciting for all her kids, nieces, nephews, and all of the extra guests that seem to find their way into her home. This is her favorite sugar cookie recipe. It tastes best when rolled out very thin and topped with fun sprinkles, frostings, chocolate chips, or whatever sugary toppings that you can concoct with your kids. Don’t forget to buy your Hanuka cookie cutter shapes!
Hanukkah Cookie Cutters – Set of 6- from Amazon

“This recipe comes out best when you refrigerate the dough for at least half an hour before shaping. Also don’t be afraid to add flour to your work surface and even to the dough and rolling pin-It really helps! Enjoy! ”

Recipe:

2 c sugar
1 1/2 c margarine
4 eggs
2 tsp Baking powder
5 c flour

Combine in order
Bake 350 approx 10-12 min

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Last week I attended a cooking class at the Sephardic Community Center with Peter Berley,  former executive chef of Angelica Kitchen in NYC. His cooking style is based upon the macrobiotic way of eating that was SO popular in the 80′s and 90′s. He now still uses his skills to whip up quick and simple vegetarian meals, and we were so lucky to share some of his recipes and easy healthy  tips in the kitchen.

I especially loved his Sweet Potato Soup, so right after the class, I ran to buy some collard greens (which is supposed to be healthier for your digestive tract than steamed kale, mustard greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cabbage- read more about collard greens HERE) and a jalapeño pepper. I already had a some coconut milk sitting in my pantry just begging to meet that can opener. The ginger, sweet potato and spices are regulars in my fridge. Within 20 minutes I had everything chopped and in the soup pot.

I also have a bag of Jasmine Rice has also been sitting on my kitchen shelf, and after hearing that rice may have arsenic leached within, I’ve been staring at it longingly waiting to hear any good news about poison in rice on CNN. Here’s another report link by ABC NEWS, (also please be educated and informed about  possibly avoiding rice cereals for infants). I decided to skip the Jasmine rice addition until the rice companies decide to literally clean up their act.

Anyways, the soup was piping hot within the hour, and it was just in time to be served with my Grilled Miso Salmon.

I hope that you get to try this recipe. It was SO delicious!  I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of  Peter Berley’s cookbook but you can get it on Amazon just in time for the holidays!

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Ingredients for the soup:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium)
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 cups)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small jalapeño pepper with seeds, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1 small bunch collard greens, tough stems removed, and leaves cut in half along the rib, and then crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, for garnish

Here is the brand of LITE coconut milk that Peter recommends:

1) In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the rice, butter, and salt with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Stir the rice once, reduce the heat, and cover the pan. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice begins to stick on the bottom, about 18 to 20 minutes. Let sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork when ready to serve.
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2) In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened, for 3 to 4 minutes.
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3) Add the sweet potato, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, coriander, and turmeric, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water, the coconut milk, and 2 teaspoons of salt, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
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4) Add the collard greens to the soup and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add a bit of water if the soup is too thick.
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5) Ladle the soup into 3 or 4 wide soup plates, and top with a spoonful of jasmine rice. Squeeze lime over all and sprinkle with cilantro.

 Please “like” this Hanukka post and share with your friends!  A lot of hostess effort went into this holiday table!

 (Enjoy from Hanukka 2011!)

Happy Hanukka to all of my Jewish Hostesses!

This year I decided to get an early start on my Hanuka table setting.Being that my Amex card was getting a little rusty, I decided to get into the holiday spirit and  venture out to Ikea and West Elm to see if I could whip up some Hanuka table decor inspiration on a budget.

I decided to stick with the traditional Hanukkah blue and silver color combo because I already owned blue water glasses given to me by my consuegro (Syrian word for son-in-law’s mother) as a Rosh Hashanah gift, plus I happen to own a set of blue and silver rimmed Greek style dishes (a perfect Macabee theme!).

After an hour or two of piling anything and everything blue or silver into my shopping cart at Ikea, this is what I finally ended up with:

1. Hanukah blue cotton place mats at $1.99 each. A great buy!
2. Silver mirrored squares-(come in a pack of 4- these are a great investment- buy a dozen or two- you can use them on a dessert bar, as placemats, or you can even line your entire table with them. Your friends will definitely ask you to borrow these mirrored squares when they see how cool they look on your table…) I placed 4 in a row as a runner in the center of the table and then place one atop each blue placemat.

3. Go run and buy these beautiful silver candles from Ikea before they run out of them! Eight of these festive candles look so elegant lined up along the center of the table-menorah style.  Ikea also has gorgeous cobalt blue glass candle holders that fit perfectly as a base for my  new silver candles.  I placed four candles into their bases in a row to the right and the left of my own “shamash” vase. (Note- my son reminded me that this “menorah display” cannot be used as the actual menorah- even if I decided to use a candle as a the shamash in the center- according to tradition, the menorah has to be fashioned out of one piece of metal, wood, or glass…like in the beit hamikdash…)

4. I couldn’t resist buying two velvety bluish purple pillows at $19.99 from Ikea to place on silver gray chairs (from B and B party rental in Brooklyn, N.Y.) at both heads of the table of the table.

5. Dashing into West Elm (while the whole family waited outside), I purchased  these stunning silvery shimmery cotton napkins at $7 each. They look perfect atop each plate. I neatly folded each one and topped with a sparkly dreidel. I also found delicious kosher blue and white swirley lollipops at West Elm that I placed on the  mirrored table runner as well.

Hanuka Flowers, Cakes, Cookies, Boxes and Sparkle and Chairs:

1. Again, thank you to B and B party rental for these gorgeous silver grey chairs. Ballroom chairs always add that touch of elegance for all of your  holiday table decor and party needs. Call B and B at (718) 436 – 8433 or go visit at 1076 38th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
2. My good friend Shirley Barnathan happens to be a Brooklyn and NYC florist. Check out her Facebook  florals  here. She ran over with some gorgeous Hanuka-blue dyed feathers, and within minutes, she draped them from my dining room chandelier. Shirley also filled my center vase with stunning silver sprayed leaves. Within seconds she picked up my dying orchid plants with replaced them with vibrant new ones. She also brought over some place card holders that I borrowed for the photo shoot. Its great to have friends in the business!
3. The magnificent and gorgeous Hanukka cake is by Fortune Farca. You will be amazed at her bakery creations! Check out her Facebook page HERE!  The beautiful and delicious Hanukaa dreidel cookies are by the talented Esther Dana. Check out her Facebook page HERE . There’s nothing like gorgeous holiday themed baked goods to cozy up the look of your table.
4. Chocolate Hanukka Coins, Dreidel and Hanukka Ornaments are inexpensive and really add to the holiday excitement. Sticking to one or two colors within your scheme  give a more elegant look. Shop here for Hanukkah Table Accessories and inspiration!
5. You can find silver boxes and gorgeous ribbon in  local shops or try sites like M and J trimmings for pretty Hanuka blue ribbons.
6. Hanukka sprinkles and nonpareils can be used as “sand” to sprinkle around chocolate coins and dreidels. They will really add a lot of pizzaz to your table!  Click here for a selection of Wilton Kosher Sprinkles. Use the White Glitter Sprinkles for extra sparkle.
7. P.S. Don’t forget to buy inexpensive Dreidel Ice Cube Molds! (see ice cube pic below). Kids love ‘em!
8. Keep scrolling down below to see the rest of my Hanukka table setting.

Use these suggestions as a basic guide for your own unique Hanukkah table decor. Using your favorite silver or blue or white tableware as a base, and then shop around your favorite discount stores, florist, Crate and Barrel, Ikea, Target, or West Elm for fun accessories to add to your holiday centerpiece. Of course if you want to go all out, you can click on over to Barneys for a real first class treat -to your wallet!

Of course I can’t wait to see your Hanuka holiday tables! Please send your pics over to marlene (at) thejewishhostess.com.

I have a fabulous brand new gourmet kosher cookbook for the most voted winner!

What do you think of this holiday table setting? Comment below with your suggestions for your sparkling Hanukka celebration!

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