My husband's family hailed from the Jewish community of Trieste, Italy, so every Chanukah we also deep fry rice balls. An Italian delicacy, these crunchy balls, held together with ricotta cheese, are a sensational hors d'oeuvres or side dish.

While fooling around in my kitchen, I've successfully fried some unexpected foods from Jewish cuisine into a whole new identity. Slices of sour pickles undergo a crusty transformation when they hit hot oil.

Chopped fish, eggs and matzah meal are usually mixed together to form patties that are simmered in broth to produce gefilte fish. But instead of boiling these large oval patties, I roll the batter into small balls and deep fry them. After one taste, you'll never settle for bland gefilte fish again.

Frightened by the thought of dealing with raw fish? Forget the stories about your bubbe who tackled a live karp in her bathtub every time she cooked gefilte fish. Instead, ask your fishmonger to grind the haddock, whitefish or pike you order. From there, handling the fish batter is as easy as forming hamburger patties.

On the theory that you can fry anything, I suggest widening your Chanukah repertoire. Here are some ideas:

• Submerge any kind of pitted black or green olives (but not bottled or canned) into hot oil, where they will develop a delicious pucker within a minute or two.

• If pressed for time, slide thinly sliced potatoes or florets of broccoli and cauliflower into a pot of hot oil until they turn delightfully brown. After placing them on paper towels and sprinkling with kosher salt, you'll savor every crisp mouthful.

• Canned chickpeas can be fried into a sensational hors d'oeuvre or snack. Dry them on paper towels. Put a mixture of curry powder, cumin, flour, paprika, and a dash of cayenne pepper into a plastic storage bag. Place the chickpeas into the bag in batches, seal, and shake them until they're coated. Deep fry them in oil, drain on paper towels, sprinkle with kosher salt, and serve them immediately.

In spite of these other delicacies, I have to admit that I wait all year for Chanukah because of the crackling texture of potato pancakes. But I find I can eat latkes for only so many days in a row before seeking other foods to fry.

Deep Fried Gefilte Fish Balls
1 cup breadcrumbs, or more, if needed
1 pound haddock, ground
1 egg beaten
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon dill, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 quart corn oil, or more if needed
Kosher salt for sprinkling
Red horseradish, optional as an accompaniment

Place breadcrumbs on a plate and reserve. In a large bowl, mix together until well incorporated haddock, egg, onion, granulated salt, white pepper, flour, dill, and sugar. If mixture is too liquid to hold together, slowly add more flour until mixture is pasty. Because mixture is sticky, you should wet hands with water often while forming balls or else mixture will be difficult to handle. Place a clump of the mixture in your wet palms and roll it into a ball 1-inch in diameter. Roll well to form a tight ball that won't fall apart while frying.

Roll ball in breadcrumbs until coated all around. Shake off excess breadcrumbs and place on a clean platter. Continue until all batter has been rolled into balls and covered with breadcrumbs. Pour corn oil to a depth of 3 inches in a medium-sized deep saucepan. Heat corn oil on a medium flame to 375 degrees on an oil and candy thermometer, or until a drop of water sizzles in the oil.

Using a long handled slotted spoon, place a few balls at a time in the oil. Fry for 3 minutes, rolling balls occasionally, until they are dark brown on all sides. Move balls to a plate covered with paper towels and drain them momentarily. Serve immediately with horseradish, if desired.

Beer Batter Deep Fried Sour Pickles
2 or 3 sour or half sour pickles, sliced 1/8-inch thick. Discard ends and tiny pieces.
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup beer
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup panko, Japanese-style breadcrumbs. Can be purchased in most supermarkets, many gourmet food stores, and Asian groceries.
1 quart corn oil, or more, if needed

Drain pickle slices on both sides on paper towels. Place flour on a plate and roll slices in flour. Place corn oil to a depth of 3 inches in a medium sized deep saucepan. Heat oil on a medium flame to 375 degrees F on an oil and candy thermometer, or until a drop of water sizzles in oil.

Using an electric mixer, whisk together egg, beer, and baking powder. Add panko and blend until well incorporated. Immediately dip floured pickle slices into batter. Let excess drip off. Using a long handled slotted utensil, submerge a few slices into the oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until batter puffs and turns crunchy. Remove slices with long-handled utensil and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately. Yield: Approximately 30-40 pickle slices.

Fried Rice Balls Italian-Style
1 egg
2 cups of cooked rice of any kind
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil, or more, if needed

Beat egg in a large bowl. Add the cooked rice. Stir to blend. Add the flour and ricotta cheese. Blend until well combined. With your fingers, form rice mixture into balls 1 inch in diameter. Your hands will be sticky, but manipulate rice mixture until you form perfect tight spheres or they will fall apart while frying.

Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place balls on the foil. Cover balls with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 1 hour, or until they are firm.

Place olive oil in a large skillet, rolling it around until bottom surface is well oiled. Place as many rice balls as will fit comfortably in the skillet, leaving room to turn the balls with a wooden or plastic spoon. When bottom of balls brown, roll them around until another surface browns. Continue frying until balls are completely brown all around. With a long-handled slotted spoon, move balls to a plated line with paper towels. Continue frying until all balls are crunchy and brown. Serve immediately. Yield: 20 rice balls