We decorated our menorah this year. We did it right after Thanksgiving, with pipe-cleaner loops dangling paper shapes from the shamash. Fire hazard, I know. It was my daughter’s idea. She counts Christmas trees on the drive home from the JCC every evening and has her 3-year-old sister in on it, too. They are trying to reach 100 and seem to have no shame about counting the same blinking branches night after night.
“But what do Jewish people do on Christmas?” my eldest asks.
“We have a very serious tradition,” I say. And then I tell her about Jews and Chinese food.
There’s no messing around about it when Dec. 25 rolls around. But over the past two decades Jews are not the only ones out there, holding chopsticks and planning the movie schedule. Which is why I prefer to avoid the crowds and stay home with our little tradition.
Making these super-simple recipes comes with very little angst, even when the stores are closed. Everything in these recipes can live in your cupboards or freezer indefinitely (frozen New York steak is one of my favorite things to have on hand), with the exception of the green beans, zucchini and mint, which are all hardy enough to keep for a week.
Roasted Sesame Green Beans
Serves 4
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄8 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1⁄2 tsp. sesame seeds
1⁄4 tsp. sesame oil
1⁄2 tsp. rice vinegar
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss green beans with olive oil on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle beans with garlic and sesame seeds. Toss to combine. Continue roasting until beans are tender, about 2 minutes longer. When beans are done, transfer to serving bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and rice vinegar.
New York Steak Fried Rice
Serves 2
11⁄4 cups raw brown basmati rice, cooked according to package directions
12 oz. New York steak, cut in short 1⁄4-inch slices
2 Tbs. sriracha sauce
2 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. sherry
1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 tsp. Chinese five-spice (found in most mainstream stores)
3 Tbs. oil (peanut or corn)
1⁄3 cup fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 Tbs. garlic, peeled and minced
1⁄2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1⁄2 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
1 cup zucchini, diced
1⁄4 cup fresh mint leaves, julienned
Cook rice according to package directions (you can also use 21⁄2-3 cups leftover cooked rice). While rice is cooking, place sliced steak in a wide-bottomed sealable container and drizzle with sriracha, soy, sherry and rice wine vinegar, and sprinkle with salt and Chinese five spice. Seal container, shake and let marinate 20 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Heat oil in a wok or very large steep-sided skillet. Stir fry ginger and garlic 30 seconds. Add zucchini and stir. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove steak from marinade and add steak to pan. Stir fry 1 minute. Add peas, corn and steak marinade. Turn heat to high and stir fry until very little liquid is left in wok — about 2 minutes. Add cooked rice and stir fry 2-3 minutes. Serve with chopped mint.
Josie A.G. Shapiro won the 2013 Man-O Manischewitz Cook-Off, is the co-author of “The Lazy Gourmet” and works at the JCC of San Francisco. Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Her website is www.thechickencontests.com.