Hanukkah Dinner

My husband is Jewish, so to honor him and to teach our son about his cultural heritage, we celebrate Hanukkah each year with a special family dinner. Not being Jewish myself, I always turn to my favorite Jewish-American cook, Ina Garten, for inspiration when planning my menu.

This year, I was unable to buy a brisket (the grocery store was sold out), so I substituted a pot roast but used the same braising liquid, just reduced by half. It was excellent. Also, when I made the rugelach, which are pastry-like cookies, I made half with the traditional apricot and cinnamon-sugar-walnut filling, while I used Nutella for the other half, which is my husband’s favorite. Both are addictively delicious.

I am providing the links to the recipes below. While most of them belong to the Barefoot Contessa, the beef is from Ree Drumond and the vegetable is my own. All turned out well, and my husband paid me the ultimate compliment when he said his late-mother, who was a renowned cook, would be impressed by the meal.