Hazon was delighted to welcome Chef Gil Marks, author of several cookbooks including the James Beard award-winning Olive Trees and Honeyto the Hazon Food Conference. I already knew before the conference that Chef Marks was an afficianado of Jewish food history and culture. What I didn’t know was that he was a lightning fast chef as well!

Chef Marks put Rachel Ray’s 30-minute meals to shame, by preparing four entirely different, entirely fried Chanukah goodies from around the world in an hour and 15 minutes. (He also managed to be quite entertaining while avoiding the “words” Yum-O and EVOO). His dishes included:

Keftes de Espinaca (Sephardic Spinach Patties)
Cassola (Roman Sweet Cheese Pancakes)
Couscous Hiloo (Couscous with Dried Fruits and Nuts)
Bimuelos/Zelebi (Sephardic Doughnuts/Funnel Cakes)

The recipes are listed below the jump - and will be as delicious on a random Sunday as they were at The Food Conference!

Purchase Olive Trees and Honey here.

Keftes de Espinaca (Sephardic Spinach Patties)
makes about 16 patties

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 pounds chopped fresh or 30 ounces squeezed thawed frozen spinach or Swiss chard
1 cup matza meal
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lemon (optional)
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or ½ teaspoon ground red pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent (5 to 10 minutes).
2. Remove from heat and add spinach, matza meal, eggs, salt, pepper, and, if desired, lemon juice and/or nutmeg or red pepper.
3. Heat about ½-inch oil in a large skillet.
4. Shape spinach mixture into 3-inch patties. In batches, fry patties until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges.

VARIATION:
Keftes de Espinaca con Queso (Sephardic Spinach Patties with Cheese): Add 4 ounces (1 cup) grated Muenster, Swiss, Gouda, or Cheddar cheese.

Cassola (Roman Sweet Cheese Pancakes)
Makes about 30 3-inch pancakes

2 cups (1 pound) ricotta or pot cheese
4 large eggs
About ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract or ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil or butter for frying

1. In a food processor or blender, puree the cheese, eggs, flour, butter or sour cream, sugar or honey, vanilla or cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Or beat the eggs with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, then beat in the remaining ingredients.
2. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease with the oil or butter.
3. In batches, drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls and fry until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Serve accompanied with sour cream, yogurt, maple syrup, flavored butter, jam, cinnamon-sugar, or fresh fruit.

Couscous Hiloo (Couscous with Dried Fruits and Nuts)
Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 pound (2 2/3 cups) instant couscous (not Israeli style)
4 cups boiling water
½ cup granulated sugar
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup (½ stick) butter or margarine, melted
¾ cup (3.5 ounces) raisins
¾ cup (5 ounces) chopped pitted dates
¾ cup (3.5 ounces) chopped dried apricots
¾ cup (3.75 ounces) chopped blanched almonds
¾ cup (3 ounces) chopped walnuts or 1/3 cup pine nuts
About 2 cups almond milk, hot milk, (or ¼ cup orange blossom water and ¾ cup water)
Additional ground cinnamon for garnish

1. Pour boiling water over couscous. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the sugar and cinnamon into the butter. Pour over the couscous, tossing to coat. Stir in the fruit and nuts. Gradually add enough almond milk to moisten the couscous.
3. Mound the couscous on a large platter and sprinkle with the additional cinnamon.

Bimuelos (Sephardic Doughnuts)
Makes about 24 medium or 48 small doughnuts

These are also called awamee in Arabic, loukoumades (loukoumas singular) in Greek, and lokmas in Turkish.

1 package (2½ teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting or sugar syrup

1. Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup water. Stir in the sugar or honey and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture and remaining water into the well and stir until smooth. The dough will not be very thick. Cover and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 1½ hours. Stir.
3. Heat 2 inches oil over medium heat to 375 degrees.
4. Dip a teaspoon or tablespoon into cold water and use the spoon to drop the dough into the hot oil. (Moisten your fingers to prevent sticking.) In batches, fry the doughnuts until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
5. Dip the warm doughnuts into the cooled syrup or sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately. (To serve bimuelos later, let them cool without the syrup and store in an airtight container. Just before serving dip into warm syrup.)

VARIATION:
Zelebi (Middle Eastern Funnel Cakes): Pour the dough from a large spoon or squeeze it from a plastic squeeze bottle or pastry bag into the hot oil in a spiral fashion into a 6-inch-long coil. Makes about 26 cakes.