Chef Alon Shaya Shares Chanukah Memories and Recipes
We asked our dear friend, Chef Alon Shaya, to share with us some special Chanukah recipes a home cook could master and he created a menu with some special dishes just for Louisiana Kitchen. Alon was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, and embarked on a career that ultimately led him to work for the Besh Restaurant Group, where he serves as Executive Chef of Domenica in New Orleans' historic Roosevelt Hotel. In preparation for the opening of the sexy eatery, Alon spent close to a year refining his skills in in Italy.
Not interested in cooking a Chanukah dinner on your own? As he does every year, Alon is currently serving a beautiful Chanukah menu at Domenica.
"For this year’s home Chanukah menu I pulled my inspiration from some of the classic ingredients that Jewish families would prepare for their holiday feasts in Italy. Every menu I researched had spinach, eggplant, and chicory, and most had fried chicken in olive oil. I thought I would have too much competition with fried chicken in this town (New Orleans), so I went with a fried grass-fed veal shank instead. I also wanted to add in some of my favorite childhood memories of eating during Chanukah. That’s where the latkes and Jelly Donuts come into play. I wanted to say a special thanks to Mr. Joe Segretta from the famous Eleven 79 Restaurant on Annunciation Street in New Orleans. He has been cooking Italian-Jewish holiday menus for his guests at his New Orleans restaurant for years. Looking through his menus and hearing his stories reminded me why it’s so important to keep these traditions alive.
Buona Chanukah!"
-Alon Shaya
Alon Shaya's Chanukah Menu for the Home Cook:
Pizzarelle de Potate (Italian Potato Latkes)
Spinach Gnudi with Coal-Roasted Eggplant Fonduta
Chanukah Donuts with Wild Blackberry Jam, White Chocolate and Saffron Zabaione
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In case you have been wanting
In case you have been wanting to ask, what does Chanukah or Hanukkah celebrate?
Every year in December, Hanukkah commemorates a miraculous event in ancient times, when after the Maccabean revolt, there was only enough holy oil left for a lamp in the temple to burn for one day -- but it burned for eight. All around the world Jews celebrate with family and friends for eight nights of festivities, including the lighting of the menorah each night, playing games of dreidel, and of course lots of food.
Since it is the festival of lights, traditional foods include those that are fried in oil, representing the holy oil in the temple. Potato latkes and doughnuts (sufganiyot) are requirements.
From Wikepedia Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה, Tiberian: Ḥănukkāh, usually spelled חנוכה pronounced [χanuˈka] in Modern Hebrew, also romanized as Chanukah,Chanukkah, or Chanuka), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash (Hebrew: שמש, "attendant" or "sexton")and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves is forbidden.
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