The phenomenon of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coinciding could mean even larger family gatherings than usual.
So here are some tips: Plan the menus well ahead of the special celebration, pick recipes that are easy to follow and make them well in advance. This way, cooks can enjoy their company.
Have a few appetizers available as guests arrive and dinner isn’t ready. One of my favorites is hummus, which I like to serve with cucumbers, radishes, bell peppers and toasted pita triangles. My recipe uses canned chickpeas, which makes it easy to prepare and is a huge time-saver. Hummus can also keep in the refrigerator for a while, so it can be prepared toward the beginning of the week.
I like to start my holiday gatherings with soup, and for Hanukkah-Thanksgiving I suggest Barley Soup with Miso. It’s a delicious variation on the traditional mushroom barley that many of us know (and love) from childhood. This recipe is vegetarian, it’s a perfect fall dish and can be made ahead of time because it freezes well.
For the main course, turkey — and latkes, of course.
To end the festive meal, I recommend everyone’s favorite: brownies. The fudgy treats can be cut into any size or shape. They freeze well and can be served with sorbet or fruit.
Hummus
Serves 10 as an hors d’oeuvre or dip
8 unpeeled garlic cloves
15.5-oz. can Goya chickpeas, drained
3 Tbs. tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. cold water
Wrap the garlic tightly in a piece of foil. Bake in a toaster oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until soft. Remove and let cool until you can handle the cloves.
Squeeze the pulp from each clove into a food processor. Add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt and cumin. Pulse until smooth, adding water through the feed tube until the mixture is creamy and has a mayonnaise-like consistency. Season to taste.
Barley Soup with Miso
Serves 12
2 medium onions
3 garlic cloves
4 celery stalks, peeled
4 medium carrots, peeled
1 lb. white mushrooms
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup medium pearl barley
8 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch fresh dill
2 Tbs. barley miso paste (see note following preparation steps)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Chop the vegetables in a food processor: Quarter the onions and garlic, and pulse in the food processor until coarse; remove to a bowl. Cut the celery and carrots into large pieces. Pulse them separately until coarse, and add to the onions and garlic. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut them in quarters. Pulse until coarse and set aside. (If you chop everything together, the vegetables will become mushy.)
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions, garlic, celery and carrots for 1 minute. Add the barley and broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
Add the mushrooms to the soup along with half the dill. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the barley is tender. Remove and discard the dill. Stir in the miso and season to taste with salt and pepper. Snip the remaining dill for garnish.
Note: You can buy barley miso in most health-food stores.
Easy Brownies
Makes 7 dozen 1-inch squares
16 Tbs. unsalted margarine, at room temperature, plus 1 Tbs. for greasing the pan
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus 1 Tbs. for dusting the pan
5 oz. small pieces good-quality imported semisweet chocolate
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Generous 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with wax paper. Grease the paper with 1 tablespoon of the margarine and dust it with 1 Tbs. of the flour. Invert and tap the pan to shake out the excess flour.
Place the remaining margarine and the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Cover and set over simmering water. Stir from time to time until all is melted.
Remove the top from the double boiler. Using a wooden spoon, gradually add the sugar, stirring continuously until the chocolate is smooth. Stir in 1 egg at a time until well mixed. Add the vanilla and flour and blend well. Stir in the chopped nuts.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tilting the pan to spread the batter evenly. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the top is slightly firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out moist.
Cool on a wire rack. Run a metal spatula around the sides of the pan to loosen the brownies. Invert the pan onto a board and cut into squares.
Note: These brownies freeze well. Place them side by side in an air-tight plastic container, with wax paper between the layers.