It’s that time of year when people begin to wonder, “When is Chanukah?” and “Why does it change every year?”

Confused? Well, here is the low-down. The Hebrew calendar, which determines when Jewish holidays are celebrated, is based on the lunar calendar with months calculated based on the movement of the moon. There are 12 full moons each year with the lunar cycle occurring every 29.5 days. This falls short of the 365/366 Gregorian calendar. A 13th moon, called the Blue Moon, occurs every two and a half years. The Jewish holidays are rarely observed on the same date from year to year. So the question remains, “When is Chaunkah?”

This year, Chanukah, Hanukkah*, or however you spell it, begins on Sunday night November 28 and ends with the last candle being lit Monday night, December 6. Hence a year of Thanksgivukkah. Thursday, November 25 is Thanksgiving, Friday, November 26 is Shabbat, and then two days later the celebration of Chanukah. That’s a lot of cooking and a lot of eating. What’s a Jewish mama to do? Keep the menus tight and use leftovers for your Chanukah celebration, that’s what.

This takes a little creativity. First up is buying a larger turkey, so if you normally get 12lbs, buy one weighing 14lbs. After the turkey is cooked and carved, put the carcass in a large soup pot with carrots, onions and celery. Cover with water and make turkey stock for your Matzo Ball Soup. By Monday, your family and friends will grow a little tired of turkey sandwiches so save some of that meat for your soup. Follow your favorite recipe for Matzo Balls and you have your first course under control.

Latkes are pretty traditional Chanukah food, but if you have a lot of sweet potatoes leftover you can get wild and make sweet potato latkes also. Along with applesauce, serve the leftover cranberry sauce on the side. This is bound to be a hit.

Meat options. Well we always go with a brisket** for Chanukah. It just goes so well with the Latkes. For my vegetarian friend, use leftover veggies from Thanksgiving, ie. green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes, to make a casserole/kugel. Are you hungry yet?

Latkes, by Penny Rich

Makes about 30

  • 2 onions
  • 5 lbs. baking potatoes
  • 6 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup matzo meal
  • 2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
  • 2-3 tsp. salt
  • 1-2 tsp. pepper
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • Old cast-iron frying pan

Sides: fresh applesauce, fresh grated horseradish mixed with sour cream, plain sour cream

  • Peel and quarter onions. Place in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse a few times until the onions are chopped. Remove to a very large mixing bowl. Return the processor bowl to the machine and fit it with the shredding disc.
  • Wash potatoes well and send through the feed tube, emptying the shredded potatoes in a colander over the sink. Repeat until all the potatoes are shredded. (If you don’t have a processor you can shred the potatoes on a box grater like my bubby used to do, but make sure not to cut yourself like my bubby also used to do.)
  • Remove a handful or so of the potatoes and place them in a clean dish towel. Squeeze all the liquid out over a mixing bowl, and add the potatoes to the onions. Repeat until all the potatoes are drained. Pour the water from the potatoes out but retain the potato starch. Add eggs, matzo meal, parsley, starch, salt and pepper to the potatoes. There is no other way to mix this but with your hands. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 250 °F. Place 1/4 cup oil in a cast-iron fry pan. Get it real hot before adding spoonfuls of potato. Lower the heat and brown the latkes, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the latkes to a baking tray covered with paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain any additional oil. After the latkes have drained, place them on a wire rack on a baking tray and then in the oven to stay warm. Repeat until all the potatoes are used, adding oil as needed.

If there are any latkes leftover (not a chance in my house), place them on a baking tray in the freezer. Once they are frozen, you can store them in a plastic container with parchment paper between layers. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven or hot fry pan. You can microwave them but they will not retain the crispy goodness.

Curry Sweet Potato Latkes, by Penny Rich

Makes about 12

  • 2 cups (packed) coarsely grated sweet potatoes 
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 can chickpeas, well drained
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • Oil for frying

Serve with yogurt or an apple chutney

  • Combine sweet potatoes and bell pepper in a large bowl. Add cornstarch, toss to coat. Puree chickpeas in a processor. Add egg, curry powder and salt to the processor and pulse until combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Stir in cilantro and mustard seeds. Stir chickpea mixture into sweet potatoes.
  • Preheat the oven to 250°F. Place a baking sheet in the oven. Heat ¼ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop 1 heaping tablespoon batter per latkes into hot oil. Gently press each latkes down to flatten. Lower the heat and brown the latkes, about 5 minutes per side.
  • Remove the latkes to a baking tray covered with paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain any additional oil. After the latkes have drained, place them on a wire rack on a baking tray and then in the oven to stay warm. Repeat until all the potatoes are used, adding oil as needed.

*Oxford English Dictionary shows 24 variant spellings for Hanukkah (Chanucha, Chanuchah, Hanuca, Hanucka, Chanuca, Chanucah, Chanucca, Chanuccah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanukka, Chanukkah, Hanucah, Hanucca, Hanuccah, Hanucha, Hanuckah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukka, Hanukkah, Khanukah, Khanukka, and Khanukkah). Our evidence shows that the most common of these currently is Hanukkah, though it’s also not uncommon to see Chanukah and Hanukah in print.

**One of my family’s favorites.

Penny and her family moved to Chapel Hill in 1998. She soon joined the Town of Chapel Hill’s Telecommunications and Technology advisory board and was appointed by the town to the OWASA board of directors where she served 6 years and held the Vice Chair position. In 2009 she ran and was elected to the town council in Chapel Hill, and in 2012 ran and was elected to the BOCC where she served 8 years, the last two as chair of the board. Penny owns and operates a personal chef and catering company and has been published in Cary Magazine, Gourmet Magazine, INDY Week, Southern Neighbor and News14. She lives in Carrboro with her mom Jersey Jacky. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram

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