photo from Cooking Light MagazineWhen I was in high school, my Mom decided that our family should be celebrating-or at least learning about- Hanukkah. She invited one of my Jewish friends (Sheryl Ziff) over to teach us about the festival of lights. At first I was a little embarrassed. I mean, c'mon Mooo-oooo-ooooom. You don't talk about miracles with your high school friends while your little brothers and sisters sit around giggling in a semicircle, do you? Do you? Huh? But as usual, mother knows best. I loved hearing my sweet, smart friend explain some of the beliefs and customs of her religion. It was inspiring, like any miracle I accepted in my own religion. For the record, my grinning brothers and sisters in the semicircle loved it too. Later my parents went on a trip to Israel and bought a menorah, a dreidl and some of the other customary Hanukkah gear. We were outfitted to become honorary Jews, at least during Hanukkah. So we kept on celebrating. Last month, on our trip to Israel, I bought my own menorah in the old city of Jerusalem. (My little brother Jack talked the vendor down to two for $26, and we split the deal.) I couldn't find a dreidl (can you believe that?), but I still have the pathetic one I made from cardboard fifteen years ago. Eh, it works. But most important, we have latkes, my friends. If you have to choose between menorahs, dreidles and latkes, go with latkes everytime. I'm petty sure you can't have Hanukkah without them. I just found this spicy, super-hip (guaranteed to impress high school friends for sure) latkes studded with slices of jalapeno in Cooking Light Magazine. Oh, all right, you can leave out the peppers if you didn't grow up on burnt tongues in southern California. But make these latkes! And get out your candles and get celebrating. A miracle always calls for a party. And for the record, our moms are right about ev-er-y-thing. It is pointless to resist. (I'm talking to you, Sailor!)
Notes: Latkes are good, cheap peasant food. Potatoes, onions and oil are the star ingredients, so these will cost you mere pennies to make. Also-I was concerned that the potatoes would discolor after draining for 30 minutes. They got a bit pinkish initially, but once I mixed them with the eggs they returned to pristine white.
Cilantro Jalapeno Latkes with Chipotle Sour CreamEstimated Cost: $4.00 for six servings
6 tablespoons light sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
3/4 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
6 cups shredded peeled baking potato (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup grated fresh onion
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
Preparation
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Combine potato and onion in a colander. Drain 30 minutes, pressing occasionally with the back of a spoon until barely moist. Combine potato mixture, flour, and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Spoon 1/4 cup potato mixture loosely into a dry measuring cup. Pour mixture into pan; flatten slightly. Repeat the procedure 5 times to form 6 latkes. Sauté 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Remove latkes from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and potato mixture to yield 12 latkes total. Serve with sour cream mixture.
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I have to hand it to my mother again. Growing up, it was not unusual to have a lesson on Hanukkah and latke-making from some of our Jewish friends. We grew up celebrating Hanukkah in our Christian household, learning to appreciate the Festival of Lights and its beautiful origin. Later I gained a greater appreciation for the meaning of the holiday, while living in Jerusalem as a study-abroad student. I'm just kicking myself for not buying a dreidle when I was there! That's why I have to post these cartoon dreidles, and not my own lovely wooden dreidle.
After the Menorah is lit, games are played, including the spinning dreidle game. I'm so mad at myself for not getting a dreidle in Jerusalem, but that hasn't stopped us from playing the game. I made myself a ramshackle little paper dreidle and wrote the characters on the side. It's such a humble little squished-up construction paper dreidle, that just this moment, I've decided to buy a dreidle on line. Today. On with the game: To play, you'll need a bowl of pennies or little candies. Divide them evenly among the players. To start everyone should put a candy in the bowl. Whenever a player takes a turn, no matter the outcome, each player will add another candy to the bowl. If the a player lands on Shin.... 
he will put an extra candy in the bowl. If a player lands on Hay....
he will take half of the candies in the bowl. If a player lands on Nun...
he will do nothing. If a player lands on Gimel...
then he takes the entire bowl. Remember to have each player add a candy to the bowl on every turn. The game is over-kind of like Monopoly-when there is nothing left or else everyone is bored of playing.
Be sure to hand grate your potatoes for a truly authentic latke. If you have time to make homemade applesauce, they'll be even better. Happy Hanukkah- starting tonight!
