Centuries before there were potato latkes, there were cheese pancakes fried or griddled in olive oil. Who knew? The writings of a 14th-century Spanish rabbi are the first record we have of this intriguing dairy Hanukkah tradition.

Why cheese? Apparently, as rabbis were doing their scholarly thing in the Middle Ages, they discussed the story of Judith, the ancient heroine who plied Assyrian general Holofernes with salty cheese and then gave him copious amounts of wine to quench his thirst. When he was passed-out drunk, she slew him. Since neither Judith’s nor Judah’s tale involving Assyrians made it into the Five Books of Moses, aka the Hebrew Bible, the rabbis had much to ponder. The result was that her cheesy story became bound up in the Maccabee rebellion, and thus was born the dairy-foods-for-Hanukkah-tradition. Just one thing…that particular siege and Judith’s heroism predated the story of Hanukkah by about 400 years.

The custom of dairy was prevalent in the southern Mediterranean, where olive oil was the typical cooking fat (versus rendered animal fat in colder climates) and therefore compatible with dairy according to Jewish law. As Jewish populations continued to migrate from olive oil regions to schmaltz regions, cheese pancakes fell out of favor. They didn’t disappear entirely. I mean, who doesn’t like the story of a brave woman?

About those pancakes. I’ve loved Fanny Farmer’s cottage cheese pancakes forever. Then I thought about my Iraqi Safta Rachel, who used to make kahi, a sweet-and-savory fried pastry filled with salty cheese and topped with honey or syrup. And then I thought about the synchronous connection between Hanukkah and the start of the olive oil season. (More on Hanukkah and the olive oil season here). What better way to celebrate the Festival of Lights than with a new/old recipe and the new/very, very old tradition of new oil.

Here’s the recipe I created for my Skirball online Hanukkah cooking class,  with Judith’s salty cheese component factored in. Super easy to make, delicious for breakfast, lunch, supper, or dessert. Make them during the Hanukkah season–November through early January–to enjoy with olio nuovo. The rest of the year, these cuties are perfectly delicious sans oil.

Makes 15 to 18 3-inch pancakes. Recipe may be doubled.

Plan-ahead note. If using ricotta or cottage cheese: At least one hour before making batter, place cheese in sieve set over a bowl to drain liquid. If you prefer, you can place in refrigerator to drain overnight.

For pancakes:

1 cup farmer cheese, whole milk ricotta cheese, or whole milk cottage cheese (6 to 8 ounces)
2 ounces ricotta salata, kashkaval (AKA caciocavallo), or other salty semihard cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil, plus more for frying
1 tablespoon honey

Toppings:

Honey (orange blossom honey would be very nice)

Olio Nuovo, or other delicious olive oil*

Roasted salted pistachio kernels, coarsely chopped (For nut-free version, substitute finishing salt, such as Maldon, for pistachios)

Make pancakes: Drain cottage or ricotta cheese as directed above. Using large-hole side of box grater, grate enough cheese to yield lightly packed ½ cup. 

In mixing bowl large enough to contain all pancake ingredients, whisk eggs until well-blended. Stir in farmer cheese and grated salty cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 tablespoon honey. Mix thoroughly. Stir in flour until just blended. 

Have the batter, a soup spoon, a paper towel-lined plate or sheet pan, and a pancake turner near stove. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into 12-inch skillet set over medium heat. When oil liquefies and shimmers, add a teeny bit of batter. If you immediately hear a good sizzle and the oil bubbles at batter’s edge, you’re ready to cook.

Using a soup spoon, add generous spoonful of batter to skillet and gently flatten into 3-inch pancake. Repeat, leaving enough room between pancakes so you will be able to turn them easily. I usually can manage 5 pancakes to a 12-inch pan.

Cook pancakes until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Oil should continue bubbling nicely at edges of pancakes, but lower heat as necessary to prevent burning. Flip pancakes and cook second side, about 2 minutes longer. Remove pancakes to towel-lined plate to drain briefly. Repeat with remaining batter, adding 1 tablespoon oil to the pan between batches.  

To serve: Warm honey briefly in microwave or in pan of hot water. Arrange pancakes on a pretty platter or divide among 6 individual plates. Drizzle pancakes liberally with olio nuovo and honey, and scatter chopped nuts or healthy pinch of finishing salt over pancakes. 

© 2020, Amelia Saltsman. 

A few resources that are very into olio nuovo and carry a variety of California and Italian producers:

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