34 | DECEMBER 19 • 2024
J
N

T

he holiday of Chanukah
begins this year on the
evening of Wednesday,
Dec. 25. The holiday celebrates
the victory of the Maccabees over
the Syrian-Greeks and the miracle
that one cruse of
olive oil was found in
the decimated Holy
Temple, enough to
fuel its menorah for
one day, but instead
burned for eight days.
This miracle sustained
the menorah until
more ritually pure olive oil could
be obtained.
Some of the most ubiquitous
Chanukah foods include potato
latkes (potato pancakes) and
sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts),
both fried in oil. The idea is that
being fried in oil, these foods
commemorate the Chanukah
miracle associated with the lighting
of the menorah.
Dairy foods have also been
eaten to commemorate the story
of Yehudit (Judith), who is said
to have seduced a Syrian-Greek
general, Holofernes, by feeding
him salty cheese washed down with
copious amounts of wine; in his
drunken stupor, she was able to
behead him. It is said that potato
latkes actually originated as cheese
latkes as part of this dairy tradition.
Personally, one food I feel doesn’t
get enough attention during the
holiday is olive oil —with all the
attention on frying, the emphasis
becomes on oil generally and not
olive oil specifically. To uplift this
crucial element of the story, I share
several recipes that really let the
flavors of the olive oil shine.
First, I share a recipe for
“no-fuss” focaccia. I love that
focaccia is not excessively difficult
to make, and it showcases ample
olive oil. Whereas many focaccia
recipes are made over two days or
many hours, this recipe is especially

efficient, but still tastes delicious.
To accompany your focaccia,
you could make the next recipe for
marinated feta, in which cubes of
feta are bathed in infused olive oil.
While this recipe infuses the olive
oil with garlic, lemon and herbs,
you could get creative with other
flavor combinations. This recipe
does double-duty by celebrating
both olive oil and the dairy
tradition honoring Judith.
Finally, for dessert, I include a
recipe for olive oil brownies topped
with sea salt. The olive oil makes
this recipe pareve (if you use non-
dairy chocolate chips) and also
imparts its unique flavor that pairs
well with the additional sea salt.
To really spotlight the olive oil
flavor for a dairy meal, you could
top them with an olive-oil-infused
whipped cream.

NO-FUSS FOCACCIA
By PJ Hamel
Makes one 9” x 13” loaf
Pareve

Ingredients
Dough

5 Tbsp. (60g) olive oil, divided

1½ cups (340g) water, warm

1¼ tsp. (8g) table salt

3½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. instant yeast

Topping

1 Tbsp. (13g) olive oil, for drizzling

Dried herbs of your choice, to taste

(optional)

Preparation
Use non-stick vegetable oil
spray to lightly grease a 9” x 13”
pan. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons
(25g) of the olive oil atop the
spray; the spray keeps the bread
from sticking, while the olive
oil gives the bottom crust great
flavor and a bit of crunch.
Weigh your flour; or measure
it by gently spooning it into
a cup, then sweeping off any
excess. Combine the remaining
3 tablespoons (35g) of the olive
oil with the rest of the dough

ingredients and beat at high
speed with an electric mixer for
60 seconds.
Scoop the sticky batter into
the prepared pan, cover the
pan and let it rise at room
temperature for 60 minutes — it
should be quite puffy, but not
fragile-looking.
While the dough is rising,
preheat the oven to 375°F.
Gently poke the dough all
over with your index finger.
Drizzle it lightly with olive oil,
and sprinkle with dried herbs of
your choice, if desired.
Bake the bread until it’s
golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove it from the oven, wait
5 minutes, then turn it out of the
pan onto a rack. Serve warm or
at room temperature.

MARINATED FETA WITH
OLIVE OIL, GARLIC, LEMON
AND HERBS
Serves four as an appetizer
Dairy

Food for Thought:
Olive Oil Recipes
for Chanukah

Joelle
Abramowitz

FOOD

JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ

Olive Oil
Focaccia Bread

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