EST. 2011 BY LIZ RUEVEN
Whitefish Guacamole Spices Up Chanukah

Whitefish Guacamole Spices Up Chanukah

Contributed by Katy Morris

Need some help spicing up your Chanukah dinner celebrations? No problema!

Renowned Chef Julian Medina invites you to venture south of the border for the Festival of Lights this year. Actually, just south of Houston.

Once again, he has combined his Mexican heritage, present-day Jewish practice, and culinary erudition to create an enticing four-course Mexican Chanukah dinner at each of Toloaches and Yerba Buena for a non-traditional yet authentic holiday feast.

“I found it an exciting challenge to attempt to blend the Mexican cuisine and flavors I grew up eating with the traditional holiday dishes,” commented Mexico-born Chef Medina, who moved to NYC in 1996 and converting to Judaism after marrying an observant Jewish woman from the UES.

Chef Julian Medina

And after competing on Iron Chef America in 2012, he is no stranger to challenges. Although he didn’t walk away from that TV show a champ, he has certainly knocked this culinary fusion experiment out of the park.

For years now, he has served up his triumphant Mexican-infused Chanukah classics, like potato-jalapeno latkes with horseradish crema and Mexican sufganiyot – treats potentially holiday-fatigued cooks look forward to year after year.

This year, head over to your choice of Toloache 50, 82, Thompson or Yerba Buena (they will also be serving a limited edition of the menu at Coppelia) on any evening between December 16th and December 24th to enjoy them yourself. Reservations are a must.

Toloache Thompson

And be sure to check out these Mexican and Pan-Latin bistros the rest of the year too as they regularly offer vegetarian options made with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients (Toloache 82 even has its own full vegetarian dinner menu).

Okay, enough of the small talk – let’s get to the menu. For starters, you will enjoy a guacamole con pescado ahumado (recipe below), made with smoked white fish.

Whitefish guacamole- Chanukah menu 2014

 

One of the most popular of the small plates on the Chanukah is their trio of latkes, inspired by his mother-in-law and comprised of a potato-jalapeno latke with a horseradish crema, a zucchini latke with a tomatillo apple salsa, and a Mexican cheese latke with chipotle and agave nectar.

latkes

Another appetizing small plate option is the ensalada del chef (salad comprised of a roasted sweet potato Carpaccio, shaved brussel sprouts, manchego cheese, marcona almonds, sherry vinaigrette and pomegranate). For the main entrée, he poaches halibut in olive oil and pairs it with parsnip puree, romanesco salad and a chile ancho salsa.

Chanukah menu 2014 Halibut

 

If you still have room left, definitely try his now famous Mexican sufganiyot– donuts filled with dulce de leche.

Can’t make it out to dine this Chanukah? Lucky for you, we snagged the great (and easy) guacamole con pescado ahumado recipe from Chef Medina so you can enjoy at home. This appetizer is sure to help keep friends and family at bay as your homemade golden latkes are crisping to perfection!

NOTE: Toloache and its sister restaurants have plenty of vegetarian items on their menus for anyone kosher like me. These restaurants are not kosher.

All photos are courtesy of Toloache.

2 Comments

  1. Hi Liz,
    Love this article! Love your “voice”.
    Can’t wait to try the whitefish guacamole!
    Happy Chanukah to you and your
    family! (now I can eat my Gelt. Thank
    you again!)
    Love,
    MS

    Reply to this comment

Leave a Reply

SIDE DISH
Photo by Jerri Graham Photography

Hi. I’m Liz and I welcome you to Kosher Like Me.

When I’m not caressing fruits and veggies at my local farmers’ market you’ll likely find me chatting with like-minded eaters, probing the scene in NYC or seeking inspiration in my spice cabinet. Life outside of this blog is all about my family, tasty travel adventures and power walks deep in the CT woods or along the shore.

Please brew a fragrant cup of tea, grab a nosh and stay a while.