It’s a cold winter! Butler’s Jewish congregation celebrates with hot latkes
A longstanding tradition made a return appearance Sunday, Dec. 18, in Butler when B’nai Abraham held its annual latke dinner.
The morning featured salad, vegetarian chopped liver, cookies and — of course — latkes (see inset).
Sunday was the first night of Hanukkah, a popular holiday in the Jewish tradition, which falls in December or sometimes in late November on the American calendar. The event celebrates a victory over the invading Greek army.
As the story goes, the Greeks defiled the sacred Jewish temple, and the Jews, on reclaiming it, were able to find only one bottle of oil to relight its lamp. It would take a week to refine enough oil and transport it to the temple in Jerusalem.
But a miracle occurred, and that one small bottle of oil lasted eight days — enough time for a new supply of oil to arrive. To this day, that time is celebrated with lighting candles, singing, giving gifts, children’s games and eating food fried in oil. Mainly sufganiyot (kind of like a jelly doughnut) and latkes.
People worked hard in the kitchen at the synagogue Sunday on North Main Street in preparation for the luncheon. Although the latkes don’t take long to make, the staff and volunteers had to make enough for 40 people.
This was the first latke dinner the synagogue had in three years, because COVID-19 shut gatherings down in December 2019.
Take four or five potatoes, medium size, and grate them.
Mince one onion finely.
Add to potatoes, along with two eggs. Thoroughly blend, with salt and pepper to taste.
At this point, some people add flour, or bread crumbs or matzo meal (which is often found in the international foods aisle); others run the mixture through a cheesecloth to drain all excess liquid.
Scoop your hands in the grated potato mixture, grabbing a palmful at a time.
Then, carefully squeeze each ball to flatten it and also to squeeze out all excess moisture. The ball should hold together.
Drop the latke in a pan full of very hot oil. Wait until the edges are dark brown before flipping to fry the other side.
Serve hot with applesauce, sour cream, or both.
