An Italian Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a festival dedicated to olive oil, so where better to go for inspiration than Italy, where it is almost considered a beverage?

This Hanukkah menu gets its inspiration from friends from the Jewish community in Italy who have shared holiday recipes. The fried foods that are served during the holiday commemorate the miracle of the one day’s supply of olive oil that burned for eight days after the destruction of the temple. Hanukkah begins at sundown Thursday.

One of my favorite discoveries is fried mozzarella topped with a fresh chopped tomato sauce. The cheese mixture may be prepared in advance, and, when cool, cut into cubes. But, it is important to fry the cheese cubes just moments before serving, so that they have a creamy consistency inside the crisp batter.

Latkes are normally made with potatoes, but in Italy I found polenta latkes, which are delicious by themselves, or they can be served as a side dish with fish or meat. They are also wonderful as an appetizer topped with sauteed mushrooms or sour cream.

Supermarket cornmeal can be used to make polenta--the coarse yellow variety is most traditional. Because nothing goes to waste in our home, the trimmings from the polenta rounds are delicious cooked in the fresh tomato sauce that is served with the fried cheese.

Pasta Latkes, made with fine egg pasta and fried in olive oil, were described by my Italian friends as the most ancient Hanukkah recipe still served today. They’re delicious when fried crisp and crunchy and served with apple sauce.

If you have leftover latke batter, you can bake the mixture kugel-style in the oven, adding two additional eggs, a quarter-cup of raisins and a little cinnamon. Spoon this into a greased baking dish or muffin pan and bake at 375 degrees until crusty, 20 to 30 minutes.

For their Hanukkah dessert, Italian Jews serve Sweet Rice Frittelle (fritters), similar to the sufganiyot eaten in Israel during the holiday. Roll them in sugar and serve them with homemade fruit preserves. These delicious confections make a wonderful treat for the whole family. Fill gift baskets with a dozen or so for everyone to take home.

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Zeidler is author of “The Gourmet Jewish Cook” and “30-Minute Kosher Cook,” both published by William Morrow. Her Web site is https://members.aol.com/jzkitchen.

Fried Cheese With Fresh Tomato Sauce

Active Work Time: 1 hour * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus 1 1/2 hours chilling

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 large, ripe tomatoes, diced

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup minced parsley

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

* Heat oil in nonstick skillet. Add onion and saute over high heat until transparent, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to medium-low, add sugar, and saute until tomatoes are very soft, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Cool. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

FRIED CHEESE

1 pound mozzarella cheese, finely diced

6 eggs

1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dry vermouth or brandy

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 sprigs parsley, stems removed

4 fresh basil leaves

1 cup flour

Oil, for frying

* Melt mozzarella in double boiler set over, but not touching, simmering water. Pour it into large mixing bowl of an electric mixer and beat in 2 eggs. Add 1/4 cup bread crumbs, oregano, half the garlic, and salt and mix well.

* Press cheese mixture into 8-inch square glass dish. Cover and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

* Lightly beat remaining 4 eggs in bowl. Blend in vermouth. Set aside.

* In a processor or blender, process remaining bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil and remaining garlic. Set aside.

* Cut cheese mixture into 1 1/2-inch squares (about 15 pieces). Dip each into flour, then egg mixture, and finally into bread crumb mixture to coat evenly. Place on paper towels and refrigerate 30 minutes.

* Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in heavy skillet or deep fryer. Fry cheese pieces, a few at a time, until evenly golden brown on both sides, 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Serve at once with Fresh Tomato Sauce.

6 servings. Each serving: 491 calories; 767 mg sodium; 185 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 1.19 grams fiber.

Polenta Latkes

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 50 minutes plus 2 hours chilling

Olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

4 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water

1 1/2 cups polenta or yellow cornmeal

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

* Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add polenta slowly, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until polenta comes away from sides of pan, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

* While still hot, spread polenta about 1-inch thick onto an oiled baking pan. Cool, cover and refrigerate until cold and firm, several hours or overnight. Using a (2-inch) round scalloped cookie cutter, cut polenta into rounds and transfer to a large platter.

* Heat 2 tablespoons oil in nonstick skillet and brown polenta rounds, turning occasionally, until brown and crispy on both sides, 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining polenta rounds, adding additional oil as needed. Serve immediately or reheat just before serving.

36 latkes. Each latke: 35 calories; 135 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.41 gram fiber.

Pasta Latkes

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

1 (8-ounce) package fine egg pasta

2 tablespoons butter or nondairy margarine

Oil, for frying

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 eggs

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

* Cook pasta according to package directions and drain well. Transfer to large bowl, add butter and blend well. Set aside.

* Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in small skillet. Saute onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add onion to noodles. Blend in eggs and salt and pepper to taste.

* Heat 1/4 inch oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop pasta mixture by tablespoons into oil, flattening each spoonful with the back of a spoon to form a thin latke. Fry on both sides until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. (Do not turn the latkes until the first side is golden and the top is firmly set).

30 latkes. Each latke: 39 calories; 23 mg sodium; 21 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.08 gram fiber.

Sweet Rice Frittelle

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour

1/3 cup medium-grain rice

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons grated orange or lemon zest

1 tablespoon butter

2 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup flour

Oil, for frying

Sugar, for garnish

* Mix rice and milk in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to keep rice from sticking to pan. As rice begins to cook, add 1 tablespoon sugar, salt and zest. When liquid is simmering, cover pan and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until rice has absorbed almost all liquid and is reduced to a soft pudding, 20 minutes. Stir in butter and set aside to cool.

* When rice mixture cools, add egg yolks, vanilla and flour, beating with wooden spoon after each addition.

* Heat oil in large saucepan to 360 to 375 degrees. Beat egg whites with dash of salt until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over them and continue beating until stiff. Gently fold beaten egg whites into rice mixture. (May be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to fry.)

* Working in batches, drop batter by tablespoons into hot oil and fry, turning once, until frittelle are crisp and brown, 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and roll in sugar.

12 frittelle. Each frittelle: 134 calories; 239 mg sodium; 49 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.24 gram fiber.