Hanukkah: Turbot with Caramelized Leeks and a Garlic-Shallot Puree with Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin and Apple Kugel

Hanukkah! Alright... not quite Hanukkah. It's January. But since I'm a few weeks behind on my blogging, I'm finally getting to my Hanukkah meal, prepared on the last night of Hanukkah in Dec 2010. It's a fairly traditional meal but with some new-age twists on it. This may not be the healthiest meal I've ever prepared, but I did my best to incorporate vegetables and lighten up the heavy stuff as much as possible. I'll detail other thoughts below. Just keep in mind, while some of these foods might not be great for you, all is okay in moderation. If you're only enjoying latkes once a year then you'll be okay to have a few extra this time!

Hanukkah meals revolve around traditional Jewish foods, but also around oil. The Hanukkah miracle is that the candles burned for 8 days when there was only enough oil for one, keeping the synagogue's flame going after the victory of the Maccabees. To commemorate that miracle, much of the food is made in oil.

I prepared a main course that utilizes oil (but just a little) in cooking the fish, caramelizing the leeks, and making the puree. It's a delicious meal, plated with care, which provides unique flavors while keeping tradition. To go with the Turbot I made some classics: apple kugel and latkes, which are always amazing. The latkes, of course, are a traditional Hanukkah dish and are fried in oil. Finally, to ensure some vegetables were included, I made brussels sprouts au gratin that incorporated olive oil into the cheesey-crispy recipe.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 2.5 hours
Cost: $28.65



Apple Kugel
Time: 1 hr 30 min (mostly baking time)

Ingredients:
1 bag (16 oz) egg noodles (wide)
3 tbsp fake butter/margarine
1 c applesauce, no sugar added
1/2 c egg substitute (equivalent to two eggs)
2 eggs
2 egg whites
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c golden raisins
4 apples, quartered then thinly sliced

Get your oven preheating to 350 degrees. Then, grease a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray so it's ready to go. You should also go ahead and boil water and cook your egg noodles, but cook them for 2 minutes less than the time on the package so they are just barely al dente.

Once all of that is done, continue with the recipe.

Once the noodles are finished cooking, drain them and return them to the pot used to boil. Add the butter to the noodles and stir until it is melted. Add the applesauce and stir again until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg substitute, eggs, egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until everything is evenly combined.

Pour the egg mixture over the noodles. Toss the apples and raisins into the noodle mixture as well. Stir just until everything is well mixed and evenly coated. Then, pour the noodle concoction into your greased glass baking dish and spread out so the top is even.

Grease a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the noodles. Bake for 45 minutes. Then, turn the heat up to 375 and remove the foil. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. The noodles should be very lightly crisped on top and the entire mixture will be quite hot. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

Servings: 12
Serving size: 2"x3"
Nutrition: calories 373; fat 3.9g; carbs 79.4g; cholesterol 53.5mg; sodium 115mg; iron 14mg

Brussels Sprouts
Time: 1 hr 15 min (mostly baking time)

Ingredients:
3 c brussels sprouts, trimmed (can cut large ones in half if needed)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (low-fat)

Get your oven pre-heating to 375 degrees. (You can cook at 350 to match kugel if needed, but allow for a bit longer cooking time and let them stay at higher heat at the end for sure.)

Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Wash and trim your brussels sprouts to get them ready and then put them in the dish. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss well to evenly coat. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and toss again to ensure oil and spices are evenly coating the vegetables.

Bake for an hour, stirring once or twice throughout the baking time to keep the brussels sprouts from burning.

Five minutes before the baking time is up, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the brussels sprouts. Return to the oven and let them cook for the final 5 minutes.

Turn your oven to broil and broil for just 1 minute to lightly brown the cheese. Remove from the oven and enjoy.

Turbot with Caramelized Leeks and a Garlic-Shallot Puree
Time: 1 hr 20 min

Ingredients:
(fish)
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp white pepper
3/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely diced
1 lb Turbot
1 tsp butter (unsalted)
2 tsp olive oil

(puree)
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
8 shallots, unpeeled
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c fat free half and half

(leeks)
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp lemon rind, grated
1 c leeks, thinly sliced

(vinaigrette)
1/4 c olive oil
1/8 c white wine vinegar
1 shallot, diced
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chives, diced

Now, I structured the order so that you can get your brussels sprouts and kugel prepped and possibly even in the oven before turning to the fish (and latkes.) So now we'll tackle the final piece of this blog post, the main dish or entree.

You'll need to make three separate pieces: the fish itself, the puree, and the leeks. Let's go through step by step.

First, get the fish marinating. Mix the black pepper, white pepper, sugar, and rosemary in a small bowl. Make a few shallow cuts into the fish and rub the spices along the fillets and in the cuts. Marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

While the fish is marinating, we'll prepare the puree, leeks, and vinaigrette. For the puree, preheat your oven to 375. Put the garlic and shallots, unpeeled, into a small baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss to mix and cover the dish with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

While the garlic and shallots are roasting, we'll get started on the leeks. Wash and thinly slice your leeks if you have not already. Put 1 c water into a small saucepan and add the sugar and lemon rind. Turn to medium high heat and let the mixture boil, untouched, until the water turns a deep amber. (You are creating caramel.) You can drizzle a couple drops of water down the side if necessary, but otherwise let the water cook until it turns amber before stirring or it won't caramelize. This should take about 10 minutes.

Once the caramel forms, let it cook another minute or two, stirring several times. Lay out a piece of wax paper on your counter and cover it in cooking spray. Remove the caramel from the stove and add the leeks. Stir until all of the leeks are coated. Then, immediately pour the leeks onto the prepared wax paper. Separate so they are not in clumps and let them cool to room temperature, with the caramel thickening on the vegetables.

By now, the garlic and shallots should be nearly ready. When they come out of the oven, uncover and let them cool just enough until you can touch them. Peel the garlic and shallots and put them into a small food processor. Add the fat free half and half and blend until smooth. This is your puree, so set it aside near the leeks so you are ready to assemble when the rest is done.

Now, get your fish cooking. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the butter. Then add the oil, swirling to mix and heating. When the oil is hot, add the fish. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until done. It should be lightly browned from the butter and cooked all of the way through.

While the fish is cooking, prepare the last part, the vinaigrette. Toss the olive oil, white wine vinegar, shallot, sugar, and black pepper into a food processor. Process until well combined. Then stir in the chives.

Finally, we'll plate! I do not typically include a plating section in my recipes, but this one is a little more intricate and you must build your plate to combine all of these features in a beautiful manner that allows you to taste all of them at once in each bite. It's restaurant style!

Split the puree evenly between two plates, pouring it into the center of the plates to make a small circle. Put half the fish on top of each puree circle. Sprinkle half of the caramelized leeks over each piece of fish. Then, pour half of the vinaigrette in a wide circle around the fish in the middle of the plate, following the edge of the plate to make a nice design.

And, enjoy!