A cookbook perfect for Hanukkah feasting and frying
Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights, but it is also the Festival of Fried Foods — and a perfect time for consuming guilt-free doughnuts and fried chicken.
Why fry? Oil is central to the Jewish holiday, which commemorates the victory of rebellious Maccabees over Syrian Greeks in 165 B.C. When the Jews went to clean up and rededicate the ransacked temple, they needed eight days to prepare sacred oil for the temple lamps and candelabras. Although they found just a single small vial of purified oil, enough for one day, so the story goes, that little bit of oil lasted eight days until more could be made.
It's no surprise, then, that Jews around the world observe Hanukkah, which begins sundown Dec. 12 this year, by lighting a nine-branched menorah and eating foods fried in oil. Many people know of and make latkes — pancakes made of potatoes, vegetables and/or cheese. But those fried treats, first recorded as ricotta cheese pancakes in 14th-century Italy, came late to the party. Precursors to the modern doughnut, fried yeasted doughs sweetened with honey and syrups, have been around since ancient Rome and Greece. Fillings, often savory, were added in 16th-century central Europe, and the byproduct doughnut hole in the mid-1800s as a way to make sure the middle of the dough would cook completely.
This year, a cookbook that focuses on two major fried food groups has come along just in time to help us with holiday feasting. “Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story” is the quirky story of how Mike Solomonov, named the nation's outstanding chef at the 2017 James Beard Awards, and his business partner Steven Cook, co-authors of the award-winning “Zahav” cookbook, along with three other business partners — Tom Henneman, Bob Logue and Felicia D'Ambrosi — turned a great American passion for doughnuts into a Philadelphia destination that has gained a sort of cult status since it opened in 2011.
Why doughnuts? About five years ago, Solomonov says, the partners wanted to create an old-fashioned doughnut shop unlike what existed in Philadelphia. At the same time, they were eating lots of Korean glazed chicken wings. One discussion led to another, which led to the idea of a low-tech, inexpensive venture that sold three things: doughnuts, fried chicken and coffee. Then came oil-filled nights, raw doughnuts, long lines, some angry social media because of restaurant food shortages and a doughnut robot with a personality all its own, purchased in a parking lot from a stranger off a Craigslist ad. Still, the partners persevered, and today there are six Federal Donut locations in Philadelphia (including a spot at Citizens Bank Park where the Phillies baseball team plays) and one in Miami.
“You don't need a doughnut every day of your life,” Solomonov says. “But being indulgent is sometimes part of living” — which brings us back to doughnuts, fried chicken and Hanukkah.
Doughnuts for Hanukkah have a special connection to Israel, where, according to Solomonov, “something like 7 million or some shocking number are eaten over the eight-day holiday.” The famous Israeli favorite, called sufganiyot, are jelly-filled, confectioners' sugar-covered delights.
Most Israeli bakeries still make and sell sufganiyot only during Hanukkah. Lior Lev Sercarz, the Israeli-born-and-raised chef, spice blender and owner of New York's La Boîte, remembers sufganiyot as one of the highlights of the season. “It is part of a unique time of year, a special treat for kids and adults alike to wait for,” he says. “More than latkes, it is a craving and expectation ... We would wait to get one a day during Hanukkah.” This limited appearance celebrates the seasonality and significance of the food and holiday: “It's evocative. I still remember the scent.”
The “Federal Donuts” cookbook breaks down each recipe with helpful photos and lots of behind-the-scenes moments. It's all part of the group's philosophy that “food is for sharing,” so the way to make it shouldn't be kept secret. The doughnuts are born from a single master, cake-style dough that yields a light and fluffy crumb and is simpler than a yeasted dough. There are sugar coating mixes and a dozen glazes to choose from; for Hanukkah, the salted tahini (sometimes spelled tehina) glaze proved a winner.
The book's incredibly crisp fried chicken recipe may be a small revelation to lots of cooks, with its seasoning blend that works like a dry brine, a nondairy cornstarch batter, a double frying and final dusting of the za'atar-sumac blend.
To counter the effects of all this fried indulgence, “Federal Donuts” includes instructions for a five-minute workout designed by Solomonov's trainer. But kitchen cleanup and a vigorous game of dreidel might work just as well.