Columnist Muriel Stevens: Nathan has appetite for storytelling

Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2004 | 8:54 a.m.

On Tuesday evening, Kislev 25 in the Jewish calendar, Jews throughout the world lit the first candle on the menorah in celebration of the first night of Hanukkah. It was some 21 centuries ago when the Maccabees defeated Antiochus of Syria.

When they attempted to cleanse and rededicate the temple, the Macabees found only enough sacred oil to light the menorah for one day.

Then came a miracle. The one day's supply lasted eight. Reason enough to celebrate. For each of the eight nights an additional candle is added. Each night, after lighting the candle (or candles), it is traditional to sing songs, play with the dreidel (spinning top) and eat latkes (pancakes cooked in oil) and other fried foods.

All of this Hanukkah lore is recounted in a wonderful new cookbook by Joan Nathan, author of many Jewish cookbooks. "Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook" (Schocken Books, $29.95) is a treasure of Jewish recipes.

"On the eve of the 25th anniversary of the original publication of 'The Jewish Holiday Kitchen' and the 350th anniversary of the arrival of Jews in America (comes) a book from Joan Nathan that will introduce her to a new generation of Jewish cooks," says the publisher.

I love the anecdotes that accompany the recipes and the variety. Represented are dishes from "every cuisine of the Jewish tradition," including Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and America. From the most exotic to the simplest, Nathan inspires the reader to run to the kitchen.

Jewish or not, everything you wanted to know about Jewish holidays and the foods eaten on those days are here.

There's no secret to making potato pancakes. A basic recipe includes peeled, finely grated potatoes, grated onion, flour or matzo meal or bread crumbs as a thickener, salt and pepper to taste and plenty of vegetable oil for frying. The oil should be hot enough to cook the pancakes (latkes) to a crisp golden brown. Latkes should be turned once. Regardless of the kind of latkes you make, those rules apply.

Try Ada Shoshan's apple latkes, which are almost, but not quite, apple fritters. Recipes can be found at the end of this column.

"The Jewish Sicilian Cookbook": Another new cookbook, "The Jewish Sicilian Cookbook," by Pamela Hensley Vincent (The Overlook Press, $24.95) is a lively memoir with stories from three generations, two food traditions and one delicious love story (according to the author -- I counted more).

This is an enchanting tale of family life with a variety of ethnic backgrounds, strong personalities and strong opinions. This family understands what it takes to get along.

Hensley Vincent makes no claim to being a seasoned cook. She cooks the dishes she learned as a child watching her Jewish-American grandmother, Yetta, cook. Later came Italian dishes cooked by her Italian-American husband, Duke Vincent. It was his suggestion that she write a cookbook.

She is an actress who appeared in a number of successful series, writes with passion and cooks food she likes. There is nothing fancy or pretentious about the foods she likes. She is a female who does things her way.

Yetta was a feisty, loving, independent woman. Hensley Vincent exhibits some of those same traits. I've included Yetta's potato latke recipe because I've never seen one that included a tablespoon of sour cream. It could easily be removed, but I'll make these Yetta's way at least once.

Happy cooking. Happy Hanukkah.

Recipes follow.

The Yiddish name for these is "latkes," pronounced "lotkiss." Yetta would cook these as a special treat for the family. She said that the secret to their "lightness" was a "little sour cream." A plateful, piping hot, lasted about one minute and 30 seconds.

Yetta's potato pancakes

4 potatoes

1 large white onion

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tbs matzo meal*

1 tsp salt

1 pinch black pepper

1 Tbs sour cream

Safflower oil or olive oil for the frying pan

Peel the potatoes and grate them on a medium grater into a large bowl. Then, grate the onion into the bowl. You can use your Cuisinart for this task, but I prefer to do it by hand, as Yetta did, because I prefer the consistency of the grating.

Water will form in the bowl from the onion and potato. Drain this. Yetta used to actually squeeze the potato and onion, as you would squeeze a sponge, to rid it of excess moisture. After that, add the eggs, matzo, salt and pepper. Then, add the sour cream. Mix well.

Put a little oil into the frying pan and heat. When the pan is hot, use a tablespoon and drop a dollop of the mixture into the pan (as if your are cooking dollar-size pancakes). They turn out better if they are small and not too thick. Turn them when they are golden brown on one side. When they are golden on the other side and cooked all the way through, remove them from the pan and drain them on the paper towels for a minute. Then serve them immediately!

Wonderful peasant food to be eaten with the fingers!

* Flour may be used instead of the matzo meal.

My mother's brisket

2 tsp of salt, or to taste

1 Tbs pepper

3 Tbs brown sugar

1 c. chili sauce

1 1/2 c. white vinegar

One 5 lb brisket of beef, shoulder roast of beef, chuck roast, or end of steak

1 c. chopped celery leaves

2 onions, sliced

4 carrots, sliced

2 c. of water

1. Mix the salt, pepper, brown sugar, chili sauce, and vinegar together. Pour over the meat and let stand overnight in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the meat in an ovenproof casserole and pour the marinade over the meat. Cover with the celery leaves, onions, carrots, and the water.

3. Cover and bake for about two hours, basting often with the marinade. Remove the cover and bake for one more hour. (Allow approximately 30 minutes per pound for roasting.) When done, strain the marinade and reserve.

4. This dish is best prepared in advance so that the fat can be easily skimmed from the surface when it has cooled. When ready to serve, slice and reheat in the strained pan marinade.

Note: You can also put all of the ingredients in a covered casserole and bake in a 200-degree oven overnight, for about 9 hours. This slow cooking breaks down the membranes of the meat, making a more tender roast.

Sanford Herskovitz, known as Mr. Brisket in Cleveland, says that when the brisket is roasting, the point (fatter side) should be down; when reheating, the flat (leaner side) should be down. "Use a choice, whole brisket; never use a first cut, because the butcher throws away the fat and it's drier."

Ada Shoshan's apple latkes

2 eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 c. orange juice, yogurt, or milk

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

Dash of salt

1/4-1/2 c. sugar depending on taste

3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated

Vegetable oil for frying

Confectioners' sugar

1. Mix the eggs with the orange juice, yogurt, or milk in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture along with the grated apples. Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet. Allowing one large tablespoon of batter per latke or pancake, drop into the hot oil. Cook about two minutes on each side, or until slightly golden.

3. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve.

This is a recipe found frequently in Israel.

Yetta's potato forspice

1 large russet potato

2 extra large eggs

2 scallions, finely chopped

1 pat of butter (or any butter substitute)

1 Tbs mayonnaise

1 pinch of garlic salt

1 pinch of black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Peel the potato, cut it into quarters, and put it into the boiling water. Boil for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the eggs in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes.

When the potato is done, drain in a colander and then place in a bowl. When the eggs are done, peel them and add them to the potatoes. Add all the other ingredients.

With a fork, mash everything together. Taste.

Delicious, yes? If you need a bit more garlic salt, add it!

This is a great lunch dish. Serve it with a green salad and fresh bread.

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