THIS CHANUKAH IT'S STILL THE .MACABEES VS. THE HELLENISTS ,

COOKING

Rabbi Meir Kahane:

"A young student, Ellyahu Amadi, was brutally murdered In the streets of Jerusalem. Last month in Jerusalem another Jew
was murdered and 70 soldiers'injured. Coexistence and tolerance? It is a common thing that Jews are stabbed. Is this
Zionism? For this we come to the Land? The Answer Is not to bomb PLO bases In Lebanon. The answer is to complete the
transaction. We received Jews from Arab lands. Let us give them Arabs from Zion."

Mayor Teddy Kollek:

"All those (Jews who riot in anger) are causing serious damage to the image of Jerusalem. They've killed one Jew . . . so
let's live in peace. Within the next hundred years, Jews will be murdered several more times. We have to accept that."

THIS JANUARY, COME HEAR MEIR KAHANE. HEAR WHAT IS NOT REPORTED.

Wishing The Jewish Community

A HAPPY HOLIDAY

Highlight Chanukah
Meal With Fritters

GLORIA KAUFER GREENE

Special to The Jewish News

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ewish cooks throughout
the ages have recalled
the miraculous bit of
purified oil that burned for
eight days and nights instead
of just one by frying a wide as-
sortment of foods in oil.
Whether one is Ashkenazic or
Sephardic, Middle Eastern or
Scandinavian, it's a Chanukah
tradition!
Our holiday menus might
include such traditional
Chanukah delicacies as crispy
potato latkes, lacy Yemenite
zelebi dipped in syrup, braided
South African koeksisters, or
puffed Moraccan beignets.
The last is actually a type of
fritter — a small amount of
batter (or dough), which some-
times contains pieces of fruits
or vegetables, that is deep-
fried until golden brown and
crisp on the outside yet soft and
moist on the inside.
Some fritters look like
doughnut holes. Others, par-
ticularly those containing
chopped fruits, take on much
stranger shapes as they cook.
For instance, Chunky Apple
Fritters (recipe follows) look
very much like knobby
Jerusalem artichokes.
Jews of different cultural
backgrounds actually celeb-
rate Chanukah with an inter-
national selection of fritters.
For instance, Moroccans have
beignets along with sfenj
which are made from a very
simple flour-water-yeast bat-
ter; Italian Jews may eat
anise-flavored frittelle shaped
like diamonds; Greek and Tur-
kish Jews like zuingous made
from choux paste and also
yeast-raised bimuelos or
loukoumades; and Eastern
Europeans might partake of
pontchekes, a simple free-form
"drop" doughnut. And the Is-
raeli Chanukah favorite, souf-
ganiyah, might be considered a
very large "fritter" filled with
jelly.
Interestingly, all these
"Jewish" fritters except for
soufganiyot (which are really
doughnuts) are typically
served dipped in warm honey
or a thinned honey syrup. And

j

none contains any fresh fruit.
American dessert fritters, on
the other hand, are usually
sprinkled with confectioners'
sugar. And many contain diced
or sliced pieces of fruit.
Most fruit-filled fritters are
made in one of two ways.
Either the fruit is finely diced
and mixed right into the bat-
ter; then the amorphous batter
is pushed off a spoon into a hot
oil. Or the fruit is cut into
chunks, slices or wedges, and
each piece is individually
coated with batter and fried.
The former method is the
easier of the two because it is
quicker to form the fritters and
the consistency of the batter is
not that critical. With the lat-
ter method, the batter must be
just right or it may come off the
fruit. And if the fruit pieces are
too big, they might not get
cooked through.
Some American fritters, par-
ticularly those containing veg-
etables and savory seasonings,
are served not for dessert, but
as a side dish. For instance,
both Puffy Corn Fritters and
Hush Puppies (recipes follow)
would be quite tasty as part of a
fish or dairy dinner. And since
Chanukah lasts eight days,
there's plenty of opportunity to
serve them as alternatives to
potato latkes.
When deep-frying fritters,
it's important to have the oil
deep enough so that the fritters
can puff properly (at least 1
inch deep, preferably 1 1/2 to 2.
inches). It should also be
heated to the right tempera-
ture, about 375 degrees. If the
oil is not hot enough, it will
soak into the fritters and make
them taste greasy and heavy. If
it is too hot, the fritter will
brown before the inside has
had a chance to cook.

To help keep the tempera-
ture stable, a
thermostatically-controlled
appliance, such-as an electric
fryptin or electric wok with a
temperature gauge, is quite
helpful. Alternatively, a ther-
mometer intended for deep-
frying may be used with a reg-
ular saucepan.
• The best oils to use for deep-
frying are safflowerAind corn
oil because they have the high
est smoke points (temperature

.

VI Friday, December 26, 1986 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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