Good Food’s Guide to Thanksgivukkah, Recipe Included!

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Thursday November 28.

Thanksgivukkah, Turkukkah, Hanugiving, whatever you want to call it, the once in a lifetime holiday mashup has spurned a campaign and rap battle (see below) from Maneschewitz, a festival in Los Angeles, and countless clever recipes that honor and meld traditional eats from both holidays. Jew and gentile alike are encouraged to celebrate.

Here’s your Thanksgivukkah FAQ from Good Food 

What is it? 

Thanksgivukkah is the convergence of the first day of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving day. Dana Gitell reportedly coined the term in  2011 after studying where Jewish holidays would fall on the calendar in upcoming years.  The holidays fall on different days each year, and they both use different calendars to determine where they fall. While Thanksgiving is determined by the Gregorian calendar, Hanukkah uses the Hebrew calendar.

Why does it matter? 

Thanksgivukkah is a once in a lifetime event and a uniquely Jewish-American holiday. Besides, we’ll take any excuse to celebrate a holiday with such culinary potential!

How can I celebrate Thanksgivukkah in LA?

thanksgivukkah festival “Light, Liberty, and Latkes”

Los Angeles will host its very own Thanksgivukkah festival on November 29 at the Pico Union Project at 1153 Valencia Street.

In the typical L.A. fashion, the event will be outdoors and offer a wide variety of food trucks including Canter’s, Kosher Palate, Bibi’s Bakery, Kosha Dillz, and many many more.

To get Thanksgivukkah-themed eats before the festival, Bibi’s bakery is serving special-edition Sufganiyot.

I want Thanksgivukkah Swag– where can I get it? 

Screen Shot 2013-11-15 at 9.14.30 AM
Courtesy of Menurkey.com(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

The naming of the holiday– and its accompanying paraphernalia have inspired words that emulate the German tradition of lumping multiple unrelated words together.

One such word, Menurkey, is a menorah shaped like a turkey, dreamed up by a 9 year-old boy from New York who created a kickstarter campaign to realize his goal.

You can buy yours here.

There are also Thanksgivukkah T-Shirts, posters and games available at Moderntribe.com

What should I make for Thanksgivukkah?

One of the vendors of the Thanksgivukkah Festival in Los Angeles, Kosher Palate, gave us this recipe for Sweet Potato Latke with Coriander and Lemon topped with Cranberry Orange Relish and Marshmallow Fluff.

Sweet Potato Latkes with Coriander & Lemon topped with Cranberry Orange Relish and Marshmallow Fluff
 
Sweet Potato Latkes w/Coriander & Lemon:

In a Large Bowl, Combine:
2 Lbs Sweet Potato (shredded)
1 Cup Yellow Onion (grated)
4 Tablespoons Rice Flour

2 Teaspoons Fresh Ground Coriander
2 Teaspoons Salt
2/3 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
1/2 Teaspoon White Pepper

Once all the above ingredients are mixed together stir in:
3 Large Eggs (whisked)

Set the mixture aside.

 Heat  2 Tablespoons of Rice Bran Oil in a Heavy Bottomed Frying Pan over a Medium/High Flame.
(due to it’s health benefits and its high smoke temperature Rice Bran Oil is our oil of choice in The Kosher Palate kitchen)

Once your Oil is hot (but not smoking hot!), Lower your flame to Medium Heat.

Stir your Latke Mixture (which has been resting) to make sure that all the ingredients are still well combined.  Portion out  1/3 of a Cup of the Latke Mixture and with your hands compress into a flattened round disc about 1/3 to 1/2 an inch thick (draining the excess liquid back into the bowl).
Place the Latke into the Oil and Fry until Lightly Browned and Crispy, Flip your Latke and Brown the other side.

Transfer the Latke from the pan to a paper towel and drain any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining Latke Mixture adding More Rice Bran Oil as needed (estimated total Oil used for the entire mixture is about 2/3 Cup)

Serve Immediately. (Latkes are always best right out of the frying pan!) topped with a tablespoon of Cranberry Orange Relish and a light dollop of Marshmallow Fluff.
Eat your Latke before someone else grabs it an eats it! Happy Thanksgivukkah!

Cranberry Orange Relish:
1 lb Fresh Cranberries
1 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Sabra Liquer
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Grated Ginger
1/4 Teaspoon Orange Zest
pinch of Salt
Combine all the ingredients in a Saucepan and bring to a boil over a medium – high flame, stirring intermittently.

Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, reduce flame to low-medium and simmer until the cranberries have popped and your Relish has reduced by about 1/2, again it’s important to stir occasionally to keep your sauce from “catching” on the bottom of the pan.
Check the consistency- Your Relish should have a chunky texture, if it doesn’t, continue to reduce until you reach the desired consistency.
Let cool overnight before using.

For more recipes, a series of blogs have some offerings.

thanksgivukkah double down
Courtesy of Food52(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

Serious Eats and Food52 had a Thanksgivukkah recipe face-off by challenging their readers to submit any Thanksgivukkah recipes and ideas. The favorite from Food52 was the Thanksgivukkah Double Down sandwich, inspired by the famous artery-clogging Double Down from  KFC, with a pair of latkes serving as the bread instead of slabs of fried chicken.

thanksgivukkah fritters
Courtesy of Food52(The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

The favorite from Serious Eats was the Latke-Crusted Turkey Stuffing Fritter with Liquid Cranberry Core and Turkey Schmaltz Gravy.

KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis spoke with Dana and Deborah Gitell about the story behind Thanksgivukkah, and about their upcoming festival in L.A.

Jonathan Gold discussed Thanksgivukkah with Evan Kleiman on Good Food’s Thanksgiving show.