Another Hanukkah party menu request

[milklady]

Scenario:
Hanukkah party
Weeknight
10 adults, 3 kids
Kosher home -- dairy meal, fish okay
One guest hates salmon

Certainly on the menu -- green salad, latkes, sour cream, applesauce, dessert (either a decorated cake or 2-3 types of cookies). We'll have wine/beer/sparkling water/milk.

So, what could the main dish be? Should there also be appetizers? Is anything else needed? Any ideas?

[milklady]

I thought I should post what we actually served:

Cheese and crackers to start
There was supposed to be a green salad, but the guest who was supposed to bring it forgot, so we had just some crudite

It went over very well. The fish was great because it was high protein, high veggie, low fat and helped cut the latkes. But, of course, the latkes were the star of the show.
Tons of latkes with sour cream and two kinds of applesauce
Tilapia baked with sauteed leeks, red peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, artichoke hearts and hearts of palm
A dreidel shaped cake (yellow with chocolate filling and frosting)
Chocolate gelt
Pumpkin pie (a surprise contribution by a guest)

[p.j.]

The tilapia recipe sounds delicious and nutritious. I always like to have some high protein, low fat, veggie-full food to eat so I don't gorge on latkes.
Care to share the recipe or its source?
Happy Chanukah, p.j.

[milklady]

It was kind of a rif on pescado veracruzano, but one of the guests hates olives and capers... I sauteed leeks, celery, carrots and red peppers together. Then I added garlic, and zucchini, then canned tomatoes, chopped hearts of palm, chopped artichokes and parsley. I let it cook into a thick chuncky sauce. I put half on the bottom of the baking dish, then teh fish, then the other half. I just baked it in the oven until the fish was cooked through and moist.

Enjoy!

[hanna5]

We had our annual party today - open house from 10 AM-3PM with about 20 adults & 20 kids. No latkes - I refuse to fry when there is company. Buffet menu: pizza, vegetable soup, soya franks, oven-baked french fries, pitas, hummus & eggplant salads, fresh sufganiot from our local bakery & home-made cupcakes for the kids to decorate. Hot drinks for a rainy day, & lots of fun!

[Antilope]

Some side dish or appetizer ideas: Tabbouleh Salad, Hummus dip, Grape Leaves Stuffed With Rice (rice dolmades).

[cheesecake17]

I would add a grain salad- like quinoa or pasta and another veggie salad. Baby spinach with tomatoes and feta or arugula with fennel and parmesean are both good. If you really want to make a main dish, my aunt usually serves fresh tuna kabobs with a bunch of dipping sauces. The adults like it because it's tasty and the kids like it because it involves a stick and sauces for dipping.

Are you making or buying the applesauce? My friend's mother usually puts out a bunch of applesauces- regular, granny smith, blueberry, spicy.

[ddelicious]

I'd make a baked salmon, if one doesn't like it they could skip it. Or make a pan fried tilapia or something.

[milklady]

Tuna kebabs are a great idea, but two of the women are pregnant and avoiding high mercury fish. But I should consider branching out to other kinds of fish besides salmon and tuna... Maybe halibut or tilapia or something else could work.

[cheesecake17]

My friend makes a tilapia dish surrounded with shingled yellow and green squash. It's really pretty and squash is 49 cents/lb right now..

[ErikaZ]

I make all that plus tuna salad and maybe jello. Who eats jello except during the holiday season?

Instead of just one cake, I have been baking cookies and people love them. You can take one or two or ... who's counting? I make 2 or 3 kinds. It's a casual dessert and just perfect with a latke dinner.

[rockycat]

Jello won't work in a kosher home. There's always Ko-Jel, but it's not easily available everywhere and it's not really that good.

[weinstein5]

For dessert I would suggest Soganiyot, israeli jelly filled doughnuts, to complete the channukah menu - available at most kosher bakeries - if you do not have a kosher bakery nearby - regular jelly doughtmuts will do -

[milklady]

I think I don't want to do sufganiyot -- I'm very committed to homemade desserts (as are my children!), and I'm intimidate to fry doughnuts, but I look forward to eating them during Hanukkah!

[chloe103]

Ruglach are a great dairy dessert often served on Hannukah, and way less scary than sufganiyot to make. Plus the kids can have fun concocting their own fillings.

Here's the recipe I love: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

As for a main, I'm inclined to agree with the first bunch of posters who suggested making latkes the main event.

[Nyleve]

Truth? I wouldn't serve much else. When else do you get a chance to just gorge out on latkes? If anything, I'd add another salad or two - maybe a pasta salad and something else (Greek? Grainy? Tomato?). And add some fruit and definitely have a cake. That's it - just make sure you have lots of latkes.

[sbgirl]

I'm with you - we never had anything but latkes, not even salad. Just a fried potato feast. I can't even imagine having other dishes to compete for my taste buds or tummy space!

[milklady]

I like the idea of a greek salad and some kind of grain based salad. That could work. Perhaps a pot of soup could work too. And we'll have TONS of latkes.