Thanksgivukkah Corn Pancakes

Because of a rare quirk in the calendars, this year Thanksgiving and Hanukkah overlap, giving rise to the once-in-a-lifetime holiday of “Thanksgivukkah.” The unusual occurrence has inspired riffs on the holiday like “menurkeys” (turkey-shaped menorahs), funny T-shirts (a turkey holding a sign that says, “Eat latkes”), pithy sayings (“Gobble tov!”) and of course fun food combos (latkes with cranberry applesauce and pecan pie rugelach).

Thanksgivukkah — now that’s meshugenah!

Not only is Thanksgivukkah fun to say, it’s fun to celebrate, as well. There is something to be said for enjoying both holidays with family and friends, honoring liberty and latkes at the same time. (Disclaimer, it may be more fun for me, because I am not hosting it at my house. Thanks, Josh and Jonna!) And with Hanukkah out of the way early, I’m looking forward to taking December easy, relaxing while others are stressing out about shopping, and— best of all — avoiding stores with cloying Christmas songs on a continuous loop.

Consider getting into the Thanksgivukkah spirit with meals that combine some traditions of each holiday. While nothing will take the place of potato latkes, try mixing it up with these gluten-free Thanksgivukkah corn pancakes. The corn pancakes are cooked in a little bit of oil, recalling the oil in the Hanukkah story, yet feature the Thanksgiving staple of corn.

Topped with sour cream and black beans — or for a non-dairy option, a mix of black beans, corn and salsa — the festive pancakes can be served as appetizers before a Thanksgivukkah meal, or for a Hanukkah lunch or brunch.

On this one-and-only Thanksgivukkah — baby’s only Thanksgivukkah! — have fun and be a little silly. In the words of the Dirty Sock Funtime Band, “Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, come light the menurkey. Let’s have a party, we’ll eat lots of turkey!”

The challenge for the Kosher Connection this month was to create a Thanksgivukkah mash-up recipe. Check out the many other creative Thanksgivukkah recipes, by clicking the frog icon below. (Please be aware that not all recipes are gluten-free.)

Let us know what you are doing to celebrate Thanksgivukkah by leaving a comment.

Gobble tov!

Thanksgivukkah Corn Pancakes

(gluten-free, dairy or dairy-free)
By Gluten-Free Nosh
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
• 2/3 cup gluten-free cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch ground cayenne pepper
• 1 cup milk (or almond milk)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen (don’t need to defrost)
• 2 tablespoons diced mild green chiles
• Sour cream (or Greek yogurt), salsa, black beans and cilantro, for serving

Method:

1. Whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, black pepper and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add milk, egg and 1 tablespoon oil, and incorporate. Mix in corn and green chiles. Batter will look liquidy.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or griddle pan over medium heat. Drop large spoonfuls of batter into the pan to make small pancakes. Flip the pancakes when bubbles form on the top surface and the pancake is golden brown underneath, about 3 minutes. Cook the second side about 3 minutes, until both sides are golden brown.
3. Serve the corn pancakes topped with sour cream (or Greek yogurt), black beans and cilantro. For a fun twist, mix a little salsa into the sour cream or yogurt. Or, for a dairy-free option, top the pancakes with a mix of black beans, corn and salsa.

Yield: About 12 pancakes