A Hanukkah Tale of Cheese, Wine, and Girl Power

Recently a friend asked me if there was anything else to eat on Hanukkah besides latkes and doughnuts.  I seemed to recall something about cheese, but I had no idea why.  I did a little research and this is what I came up with:

Around the same time that the “big” Hanukkah miracle was taking place, there was another lesser-known miraculous event under way.  It seems that an Assyrian General and his crew had taken over a small Israeli village and were making everyone’s lives miserable.  The villagers had no idea what do to (and by this I mean the men) and had pretty much given up…until a woman named Judith stepped up to the plate.

Judith dolled herself up, packed a picnic of salty goat cheese (historians believe it to be feta) and wine, and went off to see the General.  She flirted her way into his tent and then proceeded to feed him her feast.  The salty cheese made him thirsty, so she poured him some wine.  And then fed him more cheese.  And then more wine.  And so on and so on until he finally passed out.  Judith then cut off his head, thus saving her village.

…And that, children, is why we eat cheese during Hanukkah.

In honour of Judith’s tale (and that other miracle involving olive oil), I decided to make a second Hanukkah meal:

Creating a cheese plate may seem easy (and it is…who am I kidding), but there are a few tips that will make your cheese plate just that much better. 

Savory Cheese Plate: Olives, olive oil & balsamic vinegar, feta, & herbed goat cheese

Sweet cheese plate: Honey, pears, dates, Riopelle, aged cheddar, Beemster

1. Let the flavour of the cheese take centre stage; serve with a plain baguette or water crackers.

2. Most cheese tastes that much better when topped with honey and pears.  I don’t know why, they just do. Trust me on this one.  

3. Take the cheese out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before serving.

4. Aim for 2-3 different varieties on your plate; think soft, medium, and hard.

5. Make sure that you have a few nibbles on the side, like dates or olives…or this dip:

Ingredients:

½ cup dried red lentils

juice of ½ lemon

zest of ½ lemon

1 head garlic

½ tsp cumin

¼ cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil

sprinkle of paprika

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the top off of a whole head of garlic and brush with olive oil.  Put on a baking sheet and roast at 400 for about 45 min.

2. In a small sauce pan, bring the lentils and 1 cup of water to a boil.  Turn down and let simmer for about 20-30 min, or until all the water is absorbed and lentils are soft. Remove from heat but keep in the pan.

3. Squeeze the roasted garlic (it should now be super-soft and mushy) over the lentils, along with the ¼ cup of olive oil, cumin, lemon juice, lemon zest, and s & p.  

4. Blend or mash until smooth.  Add a bit more oil if it seems too thick.

5. Taste and adjust seasoning.

6. To serve: put in a shallow bowl and top with the remaining tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle of paprika.

Not only do these two cheese plates celebrate both Hanukkah stories, they are also perfect for entertaining any time in the year.  So grab a hunk of feta, a goblet of wine, and toast Judith. Girl Power!

Moral of the story: men rely on others for their miracles, women make their own miracles…along with a couple of delicious cheese plates and a rockin’ lentil dip on the side.