Jam-Filled Doughnuts (Sufganiyot)
Every year at Hanukkah I think of my grandmother and the stories she told about making beef brisket and potato latkes for her first Hanukkah dinner in America. But as much as I love the stories, our food focus has changed. One year we even served meatloaf and cabbage borscht. After a trip to Brazil, we had feijoada for our Hanukkah family dinner, and last year fried chicken was the main course.
This year, we are going back to our traditional Hanukkah fare but with a few twists. I am roasting the beef brisket with prunes, almost like a tzimmes , in a wine sauce and will serve it with crisp potato latkes and a green tomato marmalade.
I remember helping my mother make the potato mixture for the latkes using a hand-held grater. Today, while the latkes are similar, they take much less time to prepare. Use the knife blade of the food processor to chop the onions and then the grater blade to shred the potatoes. When everyone arrives at our home, we begin frying the latkes while our grandchildren play spin the dreidel. Before dinner, we serve fried zucchini sticks prepared in advance. Then we sit down to a salad of shredded iceberg lettuce tossed with sliced tomatoes and fresh fennel and topped with fried parsnip chips. The main course and side dishes--brisket and potato latkes and green tomato marmalade--are served family style.
For dessert, we bow to tradition. A Hanukkah dinner is unthinkable without doughnuts. These doughnuts can be made in advance and stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator; before serving, just reheat them in the oven and roll them in sugar. Make an extra batch for your guests to take home--they are delicious for breakfast the next day.
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with a dash of sugar and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Blend the margarine, egg yolk, orange juice and yeast mixture in the bowl of a mixer. Gradually add the flour, 2 teaspoons of the sugar and salt and blend well. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Place the dough (it will be sticky) on a well-floured board and knead it into a flat disk, adding additional flour if needed. Roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick with a rolling pin. Using a cookie cutter, cut out 2 1/2-inch rounds.
Place 2 teaspoons of jam in the center of half of the rounds; brush the edges with the egg white and put a plain round on top of jam. Pinch the edges to seal. Place them on a paper-covered cookie sheet, cover with a towel and let rise about 45 minutes.
Reseal doughnuts before frying.
Heat about 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep-fryer or heavy pot to 375 degrees. Fry 3 or 4 doughnuts at a time, turning them with a fork or tongs when one side is browned, and continuing to fry until brown all over, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Do this in batches until all the dough is used up.
To serve, roll in sugar.
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