NIBBLES
THE LATKE LINEAGE Chef Dan Asher’s Hanukkah recipes are flavored with memories, spice and love BY JOHN LEHNDORFF
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His menu will include two latke variaan Asher’s earliest Hanukkah tions. “My mom’s latkes keep it tradimemory is an unmistakable tional, and we’ll make my funky, farmaroma in his dreams. forward root vegetable version with “I’d wake up and know right away beets, carrots and sweet potatoes, too. what was going on,” Asher says. “I My 10-year-old loves working with me could smell the grated potatoes and onions and garlic frying in hot oil. It was on latkes. The other two are [too] young to be around hot oil,” Asher says. There amazing.” Asher is the chef/partner at Boulder’s will be applesauce, and the adults get sour cream with harissa spice paste for River and Woods, Denver’s Ash’Kara a little bit of heat. and other eateries. He grew up in As many families are finally getting Montreal learning how to make those back to large group festivities, the chef traditional potato pancakes standing on offers his best hosting advice. a step stool next to his mother’s stove. “Anything and everything that you “She would shred the potatoes on a can pre-make and stage is best,” Asher box grater and then squeeze out the says. “I’m a huge advocate for the oven water using a kitchen towel,” he says. set to 200 degrees to use as a hot “She also taught me the trick of putting holding unit, for things like latkes. You cold water on your arms when you’re frying so splatters of hot oil hit the cold water, not your skin.” Besides latkes with homemade applesauce, Asher recalls early Hanukkah menus featuring brisket, molded gelatin smoked whitefish salad with cucumber scales, rum balls, loaves of braided challah and bags of chocolate coins. “Mom would not deviate from her recipes,” Asher says. “When I started working in restaurants when I was 14, I would start improvising. I would say: ‘Mom, you’re so afraid to change.’ She would say: ‘Danny, why would I experiment? I know it’s going to work out perfectly the way I’ve always done Challah. Courtesy: River and Woods it.’ I realized she was also don’t want to make them to order.” passing down family history.” The point, he says, is to actually Asher and his family will welcome 15 enjoy being a Hanukkah host. “When people to their Jamestown home for a the doorbell starts ringing, hanging out Hanukkah meal this year when the and socializing are your main priority, Jewish festival of lights takes place along with refilling glasses of wine.” from Dec. 7 to 15.
BOULDER WEEKLY
Chef Dan Asher. Courtesy: River and Woods
Asher also stresses why it is so vital to keep the gathering as stress-free as possible. “Hanukkah is a beautiful, scheduled time when people sit down and eat together. It’s always a meaningful experience creating memories with your family and friends,” he says. Certain things should be banned from the table to create a rich celebration, Asher suggests. “This is not the place for politics or family conflicts,” he says. “You take a deep breath, have a good sense of humor, and have a little more kindness and a little bit more empathy.” Chef Asher says he’s planning on participating in a live online international event Nov. 30 called Live Braid (live braid.com). “It’s a global challah-braiding event that is literally just saying: ‘We need to peacefully come together and break bread,’” he says. Community events: The Lafayette Menorah Lighting (5:30 p.m. Dec. 7) in Lafayette Festival Plaza on South Public Road includes live music and graffiti art, sufganiyot (jelly donuts) and hot apple cider.
The Boulder Community Menorah Lighting is 5:30 p.m. Dec. 11 on the 1300 block of Pearl Street featuring music, sufganiyot, latkes, hot cocoa and Hanukkah favors.
LOCAL HANUKKAH FOOD SOURCES
Blackbelly Market: The Hanukkah at Home package features challah and quarts of matzoh ball soup. Brisket available at the butcher counter. blackbelly.com Kenny Lou’s Deli: Part of Lafayette’s Button Rock Bakery, the deli offers a complete Hanukkah takeout menu featuring brisket, matzoh ball soup, latkes, kugel, doughnuts and apple cake. buttonrockbakery.com River and Woods: The restaurant’s Zimmer Honey Challah is a pre-World War II recipe given to Dan Asher by a Holocaust survivor. Loaves available every Friday with pine-lavender butter. riverandwoodsboulder.com Pizzeria Alberico: The Dec. 8 Hanukkah at Bubbie’s meal includes a trio of latkes, matzoh ball soup, radicchio salad, pizza with smoked salmon and salmon roe, and sufganiyot. pizzeriaalberico.com Finding Challah: Local sources of challah bread loaves include Moe’s Bagels, Breadworks, Dry Storage and Moxie Bread Co in Boulder. In Longmont: Longmont Bakery, Babette’s Bakery and Whistling Boar catering. Also: Rosenberg’s Kosher in Denver. NOVEMBER 30, 2023
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