BY JUDY FRIEDMAN
I was born and raised in Salt Lake City in a Reform Jewish home. Sharing the season of giving — with twinkling lights, beautiful music, and great smells — is how I grew up, and Chanukah, the eight-day holiday that ended Dec. 5, has all those components. I love sharing Jewish holidays and traditions with my non-Jewish friends, and for years I’ve hosted parties to show my friends what celebrations like Chanukah are all about.
Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is the time for a party! When my guests arrive, we light candles on the menorah and recite traditional blessings, sing a few songs, and eat potato latkes — though zucchini and sweet potatoes make fine latkes, nothing beats the real thing — with warm homemade applesauce.
My “menorah salad” is always a hit. Asparagus spears are used to make the menorah and candles, and halved cherry tomatoes serve as the flame above each candle. Dinner could never be anything other than mom’s brisket. Some secrets are better left unkept, and my mom’s brisket recipe (below) is definitely one of them. Much like Mark Twain said about the pure waters of Tahoe, my mom’s brisket could “restore a mummy!”
The entertainment for the evening is Dreidle for Dollars. Dreidle is a children’s game played by spinning a four-sided top with Hebrew letters on each side. The betting chits are usually raisins or chocolate coins (called gelt), but at my house, guests bring dimes or quarters. At the end of the evening, everyone goes home with a miniature dreidle, a few less or more coins than they arrived with, and if they’re lucky, some leftover brisket.
LENORE’S BRISKET
Ingredients:
Center cut brisket (splurge and get grass-fed; you’ll feel less guilt)
1 bottle chili sauce (or make it yourself; homemade is best)
1 package onion soup mix
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Carrots, onions, and celery, cut into chunks
Directions:
Place carrots, onions, and celery in the bottom of a baking dish and put brisket on top. In a separate bowl, combine chili sauce, onion soup mix, and lemon juice, and pour over meat. Cover with parchment paper, then wrap tightly with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for a half-hour per pound, or longer if you have time.
When done, pull the foil and parchment off and take the meat out. Puree some of the veggies on the bottom and add to the sauce. Slice the meat thinly across the grain and put back in the sauce to keep warm for serving.
~ Did you try out Lenore’s brisket recipe? Do you have your own holiday recipe that’s too good to keep secret? Share your traditions below.
