ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question:  What are the two meanings of the word Maccabee?

We all have a basic idea of the story behind Chanukah, but this week Sarah Sonneborn, who is a historian, is going to explain it in more detail and from a strictly historical perspective.  She will also tell us about some customs of the holiday, and give us a special Chanukah present.

Sarah Sonneborn was born in Germany and made aliyah to Israel in 1989.  She has a Master’s degree in the History of Spain and Sephardi Judaism from the University of Alcalá de Henares in Spain, and has a PhD.  in Spanish and Universal History from Bar-Ilan University in Israel.  Sarah has been a lecturer at the Institute of History at Heinrich Heine University in Dusseldorf, Germany, and has also taught at the University of Haifa, Bar-Ilan University and IDC Herzliya in Israel.  She currently lives in Madrid.  

All of us at Radio Sefarad wish all of you a very Happy Chanukah.

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SARAH’S SPECIAL RECIPE FOR POTATO LATKES

INGREDIENTES:

6 medium-size potatoes, peeled and grated

1 very small onion, grated

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon uncooked oatmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Olive or sunflower oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS:

Grate potatoes and onions into a bowl.  Add eggs and mix.  Add flour, baking powder, oatmeal, salt and pepper and mix.  Heat about 1 cm. (1/2 in.) of oil in a frying pan and drop batter in by tablespoonfuls.  When they are brown on the bottom, turn them over.  When cooked on both sides, remove from oil and drain on paper towel.  Serve with sugar, sugar and cinnamon, applesauce or crème fraîche (or sour cream, or Greek yogurt).