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Hillary Manton Lodge’s food-romance, the Blue Door series, introduces food writer Juliette D’Alisa searching for love amidst her noisy and nosy French-Italian family, restaurant owners and chefs. Also revealed (in secret drawers and passageways) is a tragic past that the family must come to terms with. Click here for Susan's latest Foodie Lit review.
Crash course in Chanukah
Chanukah, meaning "dedication," begins in the year 167 BCE and the Greek persecution of Jews is in full swing. Greek troops showed up in the town of Modi'in, which you can visit today in Israel, and demanded that the Jews sacrifice a pig to the Greek gods. The elder of the town, Mattitiyahu (Matthew), who is a Kohen, a priest, refused and he with his five sons, led by Judah the Maccabee (the hammer) formed an army. After 3 years of fighting the superior Greek army, the Maccabees retook Jerusalem, the capital, and cleaned and rededicated the Temple, used
8 Nights of Rainbow Latkes!
Chanukah is a happy holiday, filled with candles, oil, miracles and victories. How about adding a little color with the traditional latkes? By adding different colored vegetables, you can make hints of yellow, orange, red, green or purple! Try one each night or use all for a party! Top with applesauce, sour cream, our own Pecan-Date Chutney (recipe linked here) crème fraîche, horseradish sauce, mango chutney or red pepper jelly.
by the Greeks as a pagan sanctuary. On the 25th of Kislev, they lit a menorah but found only one vial of oil. They used this small vial and miraculously the menorah stayed lit for eight days, the time it took for fresh pure oil to be pressed and delivered to the Temple. You can read more in the Book of the Maccabees and in the Talmud.
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Chanukah – one of two holidays added to the Jewish calendar after the Biblical period – celebrates the military victory of the outnumbered Jews against the Greeks and the spiritual victory of religious freedom, symbolized by the lights of Chanukah. Oil is used in cooking a wide variety of foods to commemorate the miracle of the oil.
This year, the first light of Chanukah on December 24.