This year, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 8 and ends on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 16.
There are several events where locals can mark the Festival of Lights during the next week:
- Judd Finkelstein and his staff at Judd's Hill Winery are throwing their seventh annual Hanukkah Hootenanny 12-2:30 p.m. Sunday at 2331 Silverado Trail, just north of Napa. It's $50 for the general public, free if you belong to the Judd's Hill wine club.
- Napa's Congregation Beth Sholom is holding its Chanukah Shabbat potluck and services 5:30-8 p.m. Dec. 14, at the temple, 1455 Elm St. in Napa.
- The Vacaville Chabad will celebrate the Festival of Lights with the lighting of a giant Jelly Belly bean-filled Menorah at the Jelly Belly Visitor Center, 1 Jelly Belly Ln, Fairfield, from 2-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13.
Observing the Festival of Lights goes hand-in-hand with making special Hanukkah foods. Before you light the menorah, make sure you have all the ingredients for some great brisket, latke, and sufganiyot. Although there are many recipes, below are a few to try during the eight nights.
Potato Latkes
Ingredients
- 3 medium/large potatoes - washed, peeled and grated
- 1 egg for every 3 potatoes
- Approximately 1/4 cup of flour per every 3 potatoes
- 1 TBS onion powder per every 3 potatoes
- 1 TBS garlic powder per every 3 potatoes
Instructions
- Grate potatoes, drain off excess juices, add egg(s), flour, onion and garlic powders.
- Mix well.
- Place enough oil in a large frying pan to have approximately a half-inch of oil, or enough to cover the bottom half of the potatoes.
- Take a heaping soup spoon full of potato mixture and place in hot oil and flatten to make a pancake, approximately a quarter to a half-inch thick.
- Cook on medium heat and watch carefully as they go from being done to burnt very quickly.
- At medium heat, cook approx. 4 - 5 minutes on each side.
- Remove from pan when a medium to dark golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels then remove to plate.
- Best to use tongs to turn the latkes, so oil doesn't splatter.
Once they are ready to eat, try them with some apple sauce mixed with sugar & cinnamon, sour cream or just a sprinkling of salt.
Brisket
Ingredients
- 1 Brisket any size
- 1 packet onion soup mix
- 1 can jelled cranberry sauce
- Orange juice
Instructions
- Line deep baking pan with foil.
- Place brisket in pan.
- Dice up cranberry sauce and place on top of brisket.
- Sprinkle onion soup mix on top of brisket.
- Pour in enough OJ to cover brisket about half way.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 until you can stick a fork in it and the fork slides out easily.
- Approx. 1 hr. per pound.
- Let cool and cut on the bias
Sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) from chabad.org
Ingredients
- 2 packages yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup margarine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 or 5 cups. flour
- 3 egg yolks
- Jelly of your choice for filling
- Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Mix water, sugar, juice, and yeast.
- Let stand 10 minutes.
- Melt margarine and add to yeast mixture.
- Beat in eggs and salt.
- Add flour, mixing and kneading by hand to form a soft dough.
- Let rise 1-1/2 hours.
- Roll dough 1/4 inch thick and cut circles (approximately 2 inches).
- Let circles rise 1/2 hour.
- Deep fry at 400° F about 3 minutes, turning once.
- Pipe in jelly and roll in powdered sugar.
TELL US: What are your favorite things to eat during Hanukkah? Do you have any special or traditional Hanukkah recipes in your family?
