Beer with the Rabbi: Hannukah, Food, and Beer, Part One
Image by BrittneyBush from the Seattlest Flickr pool.
It’s a bit harsh that Thanksgiving gets one day, while Christmas seems to get the whole month! While we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus with a new iPod, sweater, or television it's important to remember the food. In our ongoing series of craft beer and food, we step away from the tree and focus on another source of light, the menorah.
Hanukkah starts at sundown tonight. For those of you without a history book or rabbi, that means 8 days of celebrating when the lights almost went out. During this time fellow Jews (and a few gentiles) get together partaking of latkas or livot (potato pancakes), gefilte fish, beef brisket, soofganiot (doughnuts), and various fried foods. However, it's not all about the oil, as some people have also taken to salads with oil and vinegar or dairy. In our first installment, we focus in traditional order, starting with starch and beef.
Latkas or Livot (more commonly known as potato pancakes) consist of potatoes, onions, egg, salt, pepper, white, flour, and baking powder. After one fries these little potato beer coasters up, you had better garnish them with sour cream or apple sauce. The beer that works best would be an India Pale Ale or Stout, as these balance out the meal. Some local examples are Pike IPA or XXXXX Stout, Two Beers Jive Espresso Stout, Hale's Mongoose IPA, Big Time Bhagwan's IPA, Elysian Prometheus, Schooner Exact Regrade Pale Ale, or a Ram Mocha Stout.
Beef Brisket. Anyone that’s gone to the grocery counter or the deli would recognize this meat. This one comes in all different types, but if you have some kosher salt handy and some pale ale or brown, you can take a stab at a marinade. Suggested marinades are Pike Pale Ale, Maritime Pale Ale, Fremont Pale Ale, Big Time Prime Time Pale Ale, Big Al Charlie's Pale Ale, Hale's 25th Anniversary Dubbel or Pike Tandem Dubbel. Once it’s been cooked, wash it down with some of the India Pale Ales or Stouts.
