Gail Simmons's Hanukkah Favorites

By Food & Wine
Updated June 13, 2017
Every year F&W’s Gail Simmons throws a party to celebrate the eight-day Jewish holiday Hanukkah. Here are some of her favorite recipes.
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Fried Baby Artichokes

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Fried foods are a highlight of Hanukkah meals, especially foods fried in olive oil. Both are a nod to the holiday, which celebrates a lamp in a destroyed Jerusalem temple that burned for eight days on very little oil, according to Jewish history. This recipe is based on a preparation that originated in Rome’s Jewish ghetto.

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Fried Parsnip Ribbons

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Fried foods, like these crispy parsnip ribbons, are a highlight of Hanukkah meals.

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Herb-and-Lemon-Roasted Chicken

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Gail Simmons’s family likes their roast chicken, a classic Hanukkah dinner, with lots of lemon and herbs. This recipe is foolproof and fantastic, versatile enough for a weeknight dinner or dinner party.

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Renée's Latkes

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Gail Simmons’s mother, Renée Simmons, uses a food processor’s shredding disk to get long potato strands that fry up extra-crispy. Serve with Ivor’s Pink Applesauce.

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Horseradish-Crusted Roast Beef

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Brisket or a juicy roast beef is a tradition on many Hanukkah tables. This roast—deliciously crusted with horseradish and black peppercorns—is perfect hot out of the oven, but it's also amazing cold on a sandwich: Thinly slice the roast beef and serve it on white bread with horseradish mayonnaise and tomatoes.

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Doughnuts in Cardamom Syrup

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Doughnuts and other fried treats are a Hanukkah classic. Flavored with cardamom, these are a nod to Sephardic Jewish tradition.

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Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

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Gail Simmons likes to start her Hanukkah meal with a “rich and creamy” vegetable soup like sweet potato, squash or this simple potato leek recipe.

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