If it's Latkes, it must be Hanuka

Hanuka is indeed just around the corner, so this week we prepared latkes (l'vivot) in our Hebrew cooking elective. Several students,checking out the board where I write the Hebrew vocabulary we'll be using during the cooking session, noticed that the very first word on the list was "la'afot" (to bake).

Rather than frying the latkes in oil, as is the custom, I found a recipe for baked latkes which proved to be just as tasty as if they were fried. There was so much oil in the recipe, that they "fried" in the oven.

Reisheet kol, leeshbor et ha'beitza l'toch ha'ke'ara ha'k'tana (First of all, break the egg into the small bowl)

leetrof et ha'beitza (beat the egg)

L'gared et tapoochei ha'adama l'toch ha'ke'ara ha'g'dola  (grate the potatoes into the large bowl)

L'hachzeek ba'ke'ara  (hold the bowl)

L'hachzeek v'l'gared (hold and grate)

Achshav, leeshfoch et ha' beitza l'toch ha'ke'ara me'al tapoochei ha'adama  (Now, pour the egg into the bowl on top of the potatoes)

L'hoseef et ha'batzel, shemen, shoom, shameer, melach, kemach, v'avkat afiya l'toch ha'ke'ara, v'l'arbev et ha'kol b'yachad (Add the onion, oil, garlic, dill, salt, flour, and baking powder into the bowl, and mix it all together)

La'seem et ha'kol al ha'tavneet eem kaf, b'tzoorat eegool (put it all on the cookie sheet with a spoon, in the shape of a circle)

Achshav zeh moochan la'seem ba'tanoor (now it's ready to put in the oven)

U'va'sof, l'nakot et ha'shoolchan (And finally, clean the table)

Since we still had about 15 minutes left to the session after we put the latkes in the oven, I took the opportunity to review and introduce some Hebrew Through Movement commands.

Ari, la'shevet mee'tachat la'shoolchan (Ari, sit under the table)

Koolam, l'hareem yad (everyone, raise a hand)

Koolam, la'koom v'l'hareem etzbah (everyone, stand up and raise a finger)

Aaron, la'seem yad al ha'rosh shel Jacob (Aaron, put a hand on Jacob's head)