The story of Hanukkah has to do with an oil lamp miraculously burning for 8 days straight. And I love how we have translated that into a reason to eat foods fried in oil for a week! Latkes and doughnuts reign supreme during the 8 nights of Hanukkah. But I’m always looking for simple holiday recipes to add to the festivities. So when food writer and cookbook author Leah Koenig recently reached out to me about working together to share a very simple recipe from her fabulous book, Modern Jewish Cooking, I was excited! This recipe is so easy. If you’re frying up some latkes, you can toss these in the pan as well for a deliciously festive combo.
Leah has written 6 cookbooks including The Jewish Cookbook and Little Book of Jewish Feasts (which I am gifting to a few people this year!). She also has a really great newsletter called The Jewish Table that I highly recommend subscribing to. Here’s her tasty Hanukkah recipe…
Fried Olives and Pickles
This recipe is adapted from the fried olives recipe in Modern Jewish Cooking
Serves 6
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon smoked or sweet paprika
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
40 pitted green olives, patted dry
One 16-oz container dill pickle chips, drained and patted dry
Vegetable oil (like sunflower) for frying
Stir together flour and paprika in a wide, shallow bowl, beat the eggs in a second bowl, and add breadcrumbs to a third bowl or plate.
Dredge the olives and pickle chips in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg wash, and dredge on all sides in the bread crumbs.
Heat ¼ inch of oil in a large frying set over medium heat until shimmering (350 to 360F), and line a large plate with paper towels.
Working in batches, and adding more oil as necessary, fry the olives and pickles, turning once, until crisp and golden, 2-3 minutes per batch. Transfer to the plate to drain, serve hot on top of or alongside a swirl of labneh sprinkled with smoked paprika or swooshed with harissa.
Recipe by Leah Koenig
Photography and Illustration by Erin Gleeson
Handmade pottery by Cara Janelle