Quirky and easy recipes await in a new fried chicken and doughnuts cookbook. Perfect for Chanukkah feasting and frying (2 RECIPES)

Even though this is a simple recipe, it has a lesson or two that you can apply to the creamy soups you make down the road.

The first has to do with pre-cut butternut squash chunks you can find in most supermarkets these days. The trade-off in using them is that they can have less moisture and flavor than squash you cut fresh. Here, ginger and the sly heat of a small chile pepper do the heavy lifting, flavorwise; the squash adds texture and a satisfying bulk. So take advantage of this prep shortcut.

The other takeaway has to do with the serendipity of grocery shopping - as in, a recent trip to a well-stocked Asian market yielded canned bamboo shoots cut to resemble thick, round noodles. This soup is thick enough to keep them afloat, and they offer a low-carb, high-fiber way to add a tender chew. (I should have grabbed a couple of cans, as I can see how they'd be nice in a stir-fry, too.)

If you can only find the shoots that are cut into thin planks, try cutting those into thin strips for the same effect.

Chanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights, but it is also the Festival of Fried Foods --- and a perfect time for consuming guilt-free doughnuts and fried chicken.

Why fry? Oil is central to the Jewish holiday, which commemorates the victory of rebellious Maccabees over Syrian Greeks in the year 165 before the common era. When the Jews went to clean up and rededicate Jerusalem's ransacked Holy Temple, they needed eight days to prepare sacred oil for the temple lamps and candelabras. Although they found just a single small vial of purified oil, enough for one day, so the story goes, that little bit of oil lasted eight days until more could be made.

It's no surprise, then, that Jews around the world observe Chanukkah, which begins sundown Dec. 12 this year, by lighting a nine-branched menorah and eating foods fried in oil. Many people know of and make latkes - pancakes made of potatoes, vegetables and/or cheese. But those fried treats, first recorded as ricotta cheese pancakes in 14th-century Italy, came late to the party.

Precursors to the modern doughnut, fried yeasted doughs sweetened with honey and syrups, have been around since ancient Rome and Greece. Fillings, often savory, were added in 16th-century central Europe, and the byproduct doughnut hole in the mid-1800s as a way to make sure the middle of the dough would cook completely.

This year, a cookbook that focuses on two major fried food groups has come along just in time to help us with holiday feasting.

"Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story"

(Buy it at a 44% discount by clicking here or order in KINDLE edition for just $9.99 by clicking here. Sales help fund JWR.)

is the quirky story of how Mike Solomonov, named the nation's outstanding chef at the 2017 James Beard Awards, and his business partner Steven Cook, co-authors of the award-winning "Zahav" cookbook, along with three other business partners - Tom Henneman, Bob Logue and Felicia D'Ambrosi - turned a great American passion for doughnuts into a Philadelphia destination that has gained a sort of cult status since it opened in 2011.

Why doughnuts? About five years ago, Solomonov says, the partners wanted to create an old-fashioned doughnut shop unlike what existed in Philadelphia. At the same time, they were eating lots of Korean glazed chicken wings. One discussion led to another, which led to the idea of a low-tech, inexpensive venture that sold three things: doughnuts, fried chicken and coffee. Then came oil-filled nights, raw doughnuts, long lines, some angry social media because of restaurant food shortages and a doughnut robot with a personality all its own, purchased in a parking lot from a stranger off a Craigslist ad. Still, the partners persevered, and today there are six Federal Donut locations in Philadelphia (including a spot at Citizens Bank Park where the Phillies baseball team plays) and one in Miami.

"You don't need a doughnut every day of your life," Solomonov says. "But being indulgent is sometimes part of living" - which brings us back to doughnuts, fried chicken and Chanukkah.

Doughnuts for Chanukkah have a special connection to Israel, where, according to Solomonov, "something like 7 million or some shocking number are eaten over the eight-day holiday." The famous Israeli favorite, called sufganiyot, are jelly-filled, confectioners' sugar-covered delights.

Most Israeli bakeries still make and sell sufganiyot only during Chanukkah. Lior Lev Sercarz, the Israeli-born-and-raised chef, spice blender and owner of New York's La Boite, remembers sufganiyot as one of the highlights of the season. "It is part of a unique time of year, a special treat for kids and adults alike to wait for," he says. "More than latkes, it is a craving and expectation. . . . We would wait to get one a day during Chanukkah." This limited appearance celebrates the seasonality and significance of the food and holiday: "It's evocative. I still remember the scent."

The "Federal Donuts" cookbook breaks down each recipe with helpful photos and lots of behind-the-scenes moments. It's all part of the group's philosophy that "food is for sharing," so the way to make it shouldn't be kept secret. The doughnuts are born from a single master, cake-style dough that yields a light and fluffy crumb and is simpler than a yeasted dough. There are sugar coating mixes and a dozen glazes to choose from; for Chanukkah, the salted tahini (sometimes spelled tehina) glaze proved a winner.

The book's incredibly crisp fried chicken recipe may be a small revelation to lots of cooks, with its seasoning blend that works like a dry brine, a nondairy cornstarch batter, a double frying and final dusting of the za'atar-sumac blend.

To counter the effects of all this fried indulgence, "Federal Donuts" includes instructions for a five-minute workout designed by Solomonov's trainer. But kitchen cleanup and a vigorous game of dreidel might work just as well.

SALTED TAHINI DOUGHNUTS

SERVES: 14 to 18 (plus holes)

The doughnut dough can also be mixed by hand. You will need an instant-read or candy thermometer, a round cutter that's slightly less than 3 inches in diameter or a glass with the equivalent opening, and a 1-inch round cutter or even an apple corer.

Federal Donuts recommends using Soom brand tahini, made in Philadelphia. Baharat is a Middle Eastern spice blend that typically includes cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, paprika and black pepper. It is available via gourmet purveyors online.

Adapted from "Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story" by Michael Solomonov, Steve Cook, Tom Henneman, Bob Logue and Felicia D'Ambrosio (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017). (See above to buy at a discount.)

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

• 12 large egg yolks

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

• 3 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 cup for rolling and cutting

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baharat (spice blend; see headnote)

• Canola or peanut oil, for frying

For the tahini glaze

• 3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1/2 cup tahini (see headnote)

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup roasted/toasted sesame seeds

Steps

For the dough: Combine the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or use a handheld electric mixer; beat on low speed for about 3 minutes, until ribbons start to form in the mixture and the color lightens. Over the next 30 seconds, gradually add the melted/cooled butter in a steady stream.

Add all the buttermilk at once, beating for about 5 seconds until just incorporated.

Whisk together the 3 1/2 cups of flour, the salt, baking soda, baking powder and baharat in a mixing bowl, then add to the buttermilk mixture all at once. Beat on low speed for about 30 seconds, until incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat on medium-low speed for 20 to 30 seconds, until the dough looks smooth and starts to pull away from sides of the bowl.

Prepare a counter work space by fastening a large piece of parchment paper with tape at the corners. Have the 1 cup of flour nearby to use as needed; use about 1/2 cup of it to flour the parchment paper.

Scrape down the paddle attachment and turn all the dough out onto the floured paper. Dust the top of the dough with some of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, sprinkling the edges as well. Flour your hands and a rolling pin - although you may not need the latter, because the dough is soft.

Pat or roll out the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, about 10 by 14 1/2 inches. Add more flour to prevent sticking, but remember to use a pastry brush to get clear away any excess flour on the dough and parchment. Unfasten the parchment from the counter, then slide it and the dough onto the back of a baking sheet. Freeze for up to 30 minutes so the dough firms up.

Flour the cutters. Cut a total of 14 to 18 doughnuts and as many doughnut holes as you can, rerolling the scraps as needed.

Return the baking sheet with the shaped doughnuts to the freezer until ready to fry.

(At this point, the frozen rings can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 2 days. Let defrost slightly before frying.)

When you're ready to fry the doughnuts, heat 2 or 3 inches' worth of the oil in a wide, heavy pot (preferably enameled cast-iron) over medium to medium-low heat, until the oil temperature reaches 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels, then seat a wire rack over it.

Use a spatula to transfer 4 of the dough rings to the oil. After about 90 seconds, the undersides will begin to brown; flip the doughnuts with a slotted spoon. Fry for another 60 to 90 seconds until golden brown and delightfully puffy. (Doughnut holes take 60 to 90 seconds and tend to flip themselves.) Use a slotted spoon to transfer the doughnuts to the wire rack to drain. Make sure the oil returns to 375 degrees before frying each subsequent batch.

While the doughnuts cool for 20 minutes, make the glaze: Whisk together the confectioners' sugar, tahini, water, salt and sesame seeds in a mixing bowl, until smooth.

Dunk the doughnuts and holes in the glaze and return to the wire rack to set before serving.

Ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis.

To glaze your tahini doughnuts the Federal Donuts way Create a double-boiler by adding about two inches of water to a saucepan and bringing it barely to a boil over medium heat. Place the bowl of glaze ingredients over the saucepan and heat through. Hold the bottom of each doughnut with your fingertips and submerge the top in the warm glaze a little more than halfway up the sides. Remove the doughnut from the glaze, and, with a twist of the wrist, turn it right-side up, allowing the excess glaze to wrap around the sides and bottom of the doughnut. Cool the glazed doughnuts on a wire rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet until the glaze is dry, for about 10 minutes. If you can wait that long.

FEDERAL DONUTS ZA'ATAR FRIED CHICKEN

MAKES 10 pieces

Fried chicken waits for no one, so have your spice blend ready before you heat the oil. Toss this especially crispy chicken in its simple but terrific combination of Middle Eastern za'atar and sumac after it has been fried a second time.

You'll need an instant-read thermometer. In testing, we found that we could reduce the amounts of batter and the za'atar coating, and those amounts are reflected in the recipe here.

Za'atar is a spice blend that typically includes dried herbs (often hyssop or thyme), sumac, sesame seeds and salt. Ground sumac lends citrusy notes and color here; both are available at Middle Eastern markets, Penzeys and at many Whole Foods Markets.

MAKE AHEAD: The seasoned, dry-rubbed chicken needs to "cure" for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, and up to overnight.

Adapted from "Federal Donuts: The (Partially) True Spectacular Story" by Michael Solomonov, Steve Cook, Tom Henneman, Bob Logue and Felicia D'Ambrosio (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017). (See above to buy at a discount.)

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

• 4 teaspoons onion powder

• 2 teaspoons powdered mustard

• One 4-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces (2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks and 2 breast halves each cut in half)

• 8 to 12 cups canola oil, for frying

• 1/2 cup za'atar (see headnote)

• 1/2 cup ground sumac (see headnote)

For the batter

• 1 1/2 cups cornstarch

• 3/4 cup flour

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 1/2 cups cold water

Steps

For the chicken: Combine the salt, onion powder and powdered mustard in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken parts and get in there with your hands to coat each piece well. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.

For the batter: Whisk together the cornstarch, flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Gradually add the water, whisking to form a smooth batter with the consistency of a thin pancake batter.

When you're ready to fry, transfer the chicken to the counter top so that it comes to a cool room temperature. Heat enough of the oil in a large, deep pot (preferably enameled cast-iron) to a temperature of 300 degrees so that the chicken pieces will be submerged. Be careful not to overfill. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels.

Dip each chicken piece into the batter to fully coat. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the battered legs and thighs into the oil, being careful not to splash up any hot oil. After 1 minute, add the wings; after 3 minutes, the breast pieces.

Use a large metal spoon to gently separate any pieces that may be sticking together or to the bottom of the pot.

After 10 minutes total, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken pieces to drain on the paper towels. (The chicken won't be fully cooked - there's a second fry.)

Let the chicken rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the za'atar and sumac in a mixing bowl. Seat a wire rack over the paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Reheat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry the chicken pieces again, this time for 4 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken pieces to the wire rack to drain for less than a minute.

Drop the hot, twice-fried chicken pieces right into the bowl with the spice blend and dust to coat evenly. Serve warm.

Ingredients are too variable for a meaningful analysis.