There's a Seat for Everybody at This Table

Americans mark the fourth Thursday of every November by gathering with family around the ceremonial turkey and gobbling up sweet potatoes and pie. But this year, for the first time since 1888, and the last time for another 70,000 years (not a typo!), Chanukah begins on Thanksgiving. Supporters coined the day Thanksgivukah. At first, celebrants were confused; these holidays don't appear to have much in common, so how can we celebrate both? But there is an obvious connection that gluttons picked up on immediately: the food.

The eight-day Jewish holiday of Chanukah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians in 165 BC and the rededication of the Temple with a small amount of oil that miraculously lasted in a candelabra for eight days. To celebrate, Jews eat food fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (doughnuts), and light the menorah.

With the fried food of Chanukah and the all-American carb-fest known as Thanksgiving, Thanksgivukah is not a day to attempt to start your diet. In anticipating this historic convergence, I immediately began playing around with combo recipes: Mashed Potato Latkes, Apple Pie Sufganiyot, and these Brussels Sprouts Latkes. Our house is divided in the green-bean-casserole-vs.-brussels-sprouts camp. I grew up without the mushroom soup concoction in favor of fresh vegetables, but as a compromise, I cooked up this fried version with sweet dried cranberries, and topped with sour cream. You can even add french-fried onion garnish. Sounds like the start of a new tradition!

Brussels Sprouts Latkes

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 10 min.
Yield: 6 servings

½ pound brussels sprouts, shredded

¼ cup white onion, diced small

1 egg, whisked

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

⅓ cup dried cranberries

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil for frying

Sour cream for garnish

1) In a medium bowl, combine brussels sprouts, onion, egg, olive oil, flour, salt, red chili pepper flakes, and cranberries until well coated. Add the flour and mix until a thick paste forms.

2) In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. The oil is hot enough when it starts to sizzle when a bit of the batter is dropped in.

3) Form the brussels sprouts into ½-inch thick patties and fry for 3 minutes until golden brown. Flip and fry the other side for 3 more minutes.

4) Immediately blot oil on a paper towel and season with salt. Serve hot with sour cream.