Ideas For Hanukkah Cooking

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Thanksgiving leftovers are probably still in the fridge, but now it's time for another family gathering: Hanukkah.

The holiday is earlier than usual this year, so CBS2 wanted to help you get your menu together.

Jay Weinsten, a chef instructor from Natural Gourmet Institute in Chelsea, stopped by the CBS2 studios to offer up some suggestions.

Click on the video player above to watch the segment.

Here are Weinstein's recipes.

Bread and Butter Pudding

(Yield: 12 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound loaf French bread
• 1 quart whole milk
• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Tear bread into bite-size chunks and place in large shallow bowl. Add milk, and let soak for about 10 minutes.
3. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla and fruit; stir gently until combined.
4. Spread butter in a 9" x 13" baking dish, or a 12-cup muffin tin. Transfer bread mixture into baking dish or tin, and bake until firm, about 40-45 minutes if in a dish, 25-30 minutes if in a muffin tin.
5. Cool slightly before serving.

Chunky Applesauce with Cranberry Chutney

(Yield: 8 cups applesauce, 2 cups cranberry chutney)

For the Applesauce:

• 10 cooking apples (such as Rome Beauty or Golden Delicious), peeled, cored, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 bunch mint, to garnish (optional)

For the Cranberry Chutney:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 6 whole cloves

To make applesauce:

1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, warm the cinnamon stick over low heat for 30 seconds. Add apples and maple syrup. Cover tightly with a lid and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
2. Uncover pot and simmer 10 minutes more.
3. Cool and serve with a dollop of cranberry chutney (see below) and sprigs of mint, if using.

To make chutney:

1. Combine cranberries, syrup and cloves in a small heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Simmer 10-15 minutes, until all cranberries are broken and have a saucy consistency.
2. Cool and serve with applesauce. Can also be served with savory foods like Thanksgiving turkey.

Potato Latkes

(Yield: 24 pancakes)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• About 1 cup water
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Procedure:

1. Combine potatoes, onion, flour and salt in a blender. Add enough water to barely cover vegetables, just enough to help mixture blend. Puree until smooth. This may need to be done in two batches, depending on the size of your blender.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until a drop of batter sizzles (the oil should not smoke). In batches, add batter to the pan in quarter-cup increments, leaving enough space between latkes so they don't touch.
3. Cook latkes slowly until they are three-quarters solid, with only a small amount of uncooked batter in the center, about 7 minutes. Flip latkes and cook through until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer latkes to a paper towel-lined plate to drain access oil.

Mushroom-Stuffed Cabbage

(Yield: About 12 rolls/6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
• ¼ cup raisins
• 1 head green cabbage, outer leaves removed
• 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 3 portobella mushrooms (about 12 ounces), roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• ½ pound firm tofu, cut into ¼-inch dice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small saucepan, bring tomato sauce, sugar and raisins to a simmer. Set aside.
2. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Set aside.
3. Bring enough water to a boil to submerge the cabbage head. Cut around the core of the cabbage to detach the leaves, and submerge it for 2 minutes. As leaves soften and become pliable, gradually remove 12 or so leaves, placing them directly into prepared ice bath to chill. Remove 4 more leaves and chop them roughly.
4. Place celery, carrots, onion and chopped cabbage into a food processor, and pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer vegetables to a bowl; set aside.
5. Place mushrooms into a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped.
6. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until it shimmers but doesn't smoke. Add vegetables and mushrooms. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Add oregano and salt, toss, and cook for 10 more minutes. Set mixture aside to cool slightly.
7. Add rice, tofu, eggs and a few grinds of black pepper to mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
8. Heat oven to 400º. Roll about ½ cup filling into each cabbage leaf, folding one-inch flaps in from the sides to lock in the filling. Line a 9" X 13" baking dish with tomato sauce. Arrange the rolls onto the sauce, cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour.

Wild Rice Vegetable Pancakes with Cumin Sour Cream

(Yield: About 24 pancakes)

For the Pancakes:

• 4 ounces wild rice
• 1 cup carrots cut into matchsticks (about 1 carrot)
• 1 cup celery cut into matchsticks (about 1 large stalk)
• 1 cup white onion cut into thin half-moons (about ½ large onion)
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil, for frying
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

For the Sour Cream:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch of salt

Procedure:

1. Bring 2 quarts lightly salted water to a boil and cook wild rice until very tender and most grains have burst open, about 40 minutes.
2. Strain rice and reserve cooking liquid. Place rice on a large platter or baking sheet to cool.
3. Combine rice with carrots, celery, onion, scallions, eggs and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Moisten with a few drops of rice-cooking liquid to help the mixture hold. Rice should be held loosely together with the batter about the consistency of honey.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until a piece of onion sizzles when added. Place quarter-cup mounds of rice mixture into the pan.  Shape them into rough-hewn pancakes.
5. Cook undisturbed until browned and visibly cooked around the edges, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned all over. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain access oil.
6. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, cumin and salt.
7. Serve pancakes with parsley and cumin sour cream.

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• Hanukkah