“Growing up, I celebrated Chanukkah, but always envied the traditional Christmas dinner. Now I have my own kids, I like to shake things up a bit and do a mash up Chrismukkah feast.
I keep the focus on the full roast with turkey or brisket but complement it with latkes (Jewish hash browns) served with applesauce, and plenty of Middle Eastern inspired salads and loads of fun sides - just by adding pesto and pomegranate seeds to my roasted veg; it turns the traditional Christmas dish somewhat more Jew-ISH.
This year I’ll be making challah bread to go with my matzah ball soup starter and finishing off the festive feast with some ruggelach and a large peppermint tea for melting into the sofa with. No matter how stuffed we are from Chrismukkah dinner though; rest be assured we’ll be packing bagels with all the leftovers for Boxing Day noshing”, Larah Bross.
The Mama Bross Chrismukkah bagel
This is the ultimate leftovers recipe – my Chrismukkah Jewish bagel packed with traditional Christmas fillings. It’s the perfect way to combine the best of both holidays. You can use up all the leftovers from your Christmas dinner, but I highly recommend you take the time to make this spicy festive slaw – it’s so worth the extra effort even if you have a holiday hangover on Boxing Day – you won’t regret it. It’s even better than a post-Christmas hair of the dog.
Serves 1
1 Bross Bagel Everything Bagel (or another bagel of your choice)
1 turkey breast or a 3-4 thick slices of turkey
2-3 rashers of crispy bacon
2-3 slices of applewood smoked cheese
2-3 stuffing balls or slices
1 tsp of mayonnaise, mixed with a sprinkling of cranberries
500g or half a medium red cabbage shaved thinly
75g or a couple carrots grated
10g sugar
50ml white wine vinegar
30ml rapeseed Oil
25ml orange juice
5g salt
couple pinches of black paper
40g chopped pickled jalapenos
1 To make the slaw: Mix together the shaved cabbage and carrots. Add in the chopped pickled jalapenos.
2 In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, white wine vinegar, rapeseed oil and orange juice, then season with salt and a couple of pinches of cracked black pepper. Pour this dressing over the cabbage, carrots and jalapenos and mix well together. You can save any you don’t use for your bagels in the fridge.
3 To assemble the bagel. Slice it in half and lightly toast.
4 Warm the turkey and crispy bacon in a pan.
5 Layer the bagel with a slather of plain or cranberry mayo. Add 3-4 slices of turkey, then layer the bacon over the top before adding the slices of cheese so they begin to melt over the warm turkey and bacon. Add the sliced stuffing balls
6 Top with a generous helping of the festive spicy slaw. Smear the opposite side, or lid of the bagel, with mayonnaise to taste, then place the lid back on top.
Rugelach
This is an absolute staple on any Jewish table for family celebrations and get-togethers – so moreish, or maybe too moreish. Classic fillings are fruit, nuts and cinnamon, but I like to go all out at Christmas and make a chocolate rugelach. You can make up a big batch to serve up to any guests who might pop by over the holidays. Or just eat them all yourself – whatever, I won’t judge. It’s Christmas after all.
Serves 4
250g unsalted butter
150g cream cheese
350g plain flour
50g caster sugar
½ tsp salt
160g chocolate
400g light brown sugar
40g chopped nuts (any variety)
1 egg
1tsp cinnamon
1 Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the butter and cream cheese. Pulse until the dough is crumbly curd-like pieces.
2 Knead the dough until it comes together then shape into a rectangle. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or ideally overnight.
3 For the filling, melt the chocolate over a bain Marie and once melted, add the light brown sugar and stir to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until the dough is ready.
4 Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas Mark 4 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5 Remove one portion of dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle until the dough is between 3 and 5mm thick. Spread a thin layer of the filling over the dough and top with the chopped nuts.
6 Roll the dough up as if you are making cinnamon rolls, and cut into sections around 2cm thick. When placing on the baking sheet, do not turn them on their side, keep them upright so that the filling spiral is visible on each side.
7 Before baking, combine the egg, cinnamon and caster sugar and brush each rugelach with the mixture.
8 Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and the bottoms are golden and crisp. Transfer to a rack to cool before enjoying.
There are four Bross Bagels in Edinburgh including the first Bross Deli in St James Quarter.
