How a Black-Jewish Historian Crafts a Hanukkah Meal

In the second century B.C., after Jewish rebels reclaimed their temple from Greek-Syrian oppressors in Jerusalem, a small amount of olive oil kept it burning for eight days until they could find more fuel, according to legend. Sephardic Jews across the world commemorate this miracle on the winter holiday of Hanukkah by heating up oil to fry various foods, each reflecting the cook's heritage.

He likes to add dishes such as Louisiana-style beignets and West African akara to his Hanukkah menu. During the festival of light, he likes to teach people about the deep connections between the Jewish and African diasporas by eating fried food.

He says that they can invite people into their homes to show them the roots of the food.

The story of Black and Jewish people coexisting is told in the new book Koshersoul. The book looks at the history of coexistence between Ethiopia and Israel, as well as the history of Sephardic Jews who found refuge in the Afro-Brazilian quilombo of Palmares.

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The latter is where Black and Jewish cooks created a distinctly Southern Jewish cuisine that he honors in Koshersoul. Some of the recipes for Cajun and sweet potato latkes that were found in books such as Matzoh Ball Gumbo and Kosher Creole Cookbook were the inspiration for these latkes. He created his own version of Louisiana-style latkes incorporating scallions and Creole cuisine's keystone ingredients of onion, celery, and pepper.

The author of Kosher Creole Cookbook acknowledged that her recipes came from Black women working alongside and in the homes of Jewish women in New Orleans and other places. A complicated story is reflected in his latkes' mingling of Ashkenazi and Creole.

Black women cooks were employed by many Southern Jews. The influence of black women in the kitchen helped Jewish families integrate into a demanding regional culture. Compared to their white gentile counterparts, Southern Jewish women who kept kosher would work on a more intimate basis with the black women they employed.

African-American dishes became focal points in Southern Jewish cuisine as a result of Black women introducing them to them. Two elderly Southern Jews recount different Shabbat meals consisting of "okra soup, red rice, fried or barbecued chicken, challah, collard greens made with beef bacon or sausage, and peach cobbler or pie," both prepared by Black cooks," according to Koshersoul.

In researching African-American contributions to Southern Jewish food, he was looking for a voice that could speak to those parts of who he is. He celebrates people who are both black and Jewish. His Koshersoul Spring Rolls tell his own Black-Jewish story, one of a man who grew up in Washington, D.C., in an African American, Christian family with Southern roots and converted to Judaism at age 25. The chef in North Carolina introduced him to the "soul rolls" stuffed with soul food ingredients and the "pastrami egg rolls" that he encountered while shopping for tzitzit.

The spring rolls are a snack that celebrates Black and Jewish cooking. You can celebrate Hanukkah by cooking them and Latkes in sacred oil and eating them on a night when two of the world's oldest diasporas make delicious food together.

Koshersoul of his spring rolls.">

Koshersoul Hanukkah Recipes

Louisiana-style Latkes

The song is from Koshersoul by Michael Twitty.

It's served 4 to 6 times.

The ingredients of latke.

2 cups of potatoes, 2 cups of onion, 2 cups of celery, 2 cups of green onion, 1 small garlic clove, 1 pinch dried thyme, and 3 eggs.

This is the first thing. In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients except the oil and the Creole Seasoning together. Place the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on it to form 14-to-12 inch- Turn and brown them on the other side. They need to be drained on paper towels. The latkes should be served hot with a few slices of green onion. You can serve them with either sour cream or sweet chili sauce. If you want to make latkes that are less dry, you can squeeze out the onion and celery. The batter should catch fire when the oil is prepared.

Koshersoul Spring Rolls

Koshersoul comes from Koshersoul.

This is the fifth serve.

The ingredients for spring roll.

1 cup kosher pastrami, chopped and shredded, 1 bunch of collards, stems removed and cut into thin strips, vegetarian hoisin sauce, or half-and-half.

The ingredients for the dip are ginger and hoisin.

1 spoon of vegetarian hoisin sauce, 1 spoon of thinly sliced scallions.

This is the first thing. In a hot wok or large sauté pan, add the sesame oil, followed by the garlic and ginger, and cook for just under one minute, being careful not to let it burn. The scallions and pastrami should be cooked on medium heat. If you like, you can add a little water and cook the greens for another seven minutes. There are three. Add the hoisin sauce and adjust the seasoning to taste. The mixture should be set aside and cooled. To make a smooth sauce, whisk together the dip ingredients. Sprinkle sliced green onion on top of it.

There are four. To make each roll, lay out a wrapper with a corner facing you, and put 2 to 3% of the mixture in it. Continue rolling after folding the bottom corner up over the filling. To test the heat of the vegetable oil in a frying pan or deep wok, you can use a bit of the spring roll wrapper to make sure it's not too hot. Place the rolls in the oil, three at a time, being careful not to overload the pan. Cook them until golden brown and then cook them the other way. Put them on a plate with paper towels to drain. If you repeat, the rolls will be fried. They can be served with Hoisin ginger dip. You can find Osem in the Kosher aisle of a grocery store.

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