5786 - THE JEWISH NEW YEAR

Rosh Hashanah dishes

Rosh Hashanah is a time for us to come together and enjoy some of the best food we can provide. We eat sweet, round loaves of bread to symbolise the hope we have for the year ahead. We put honey in everything, and dip the bread in honey instead of salt when we bless it. It's customary to eat fish, carrots, honeydew and pomegranate straws, and the following recipes use these ingredients.

Starters and salads

TZIMMES

Tzimmes meets all the requirements for the new year: it’s sweet, it’s made with honey and it’s festive!

INGRIDIENTS:

8 carrots, shredded
16 ripe dates
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
3 tbsp honeys
8 tbsp olive oil
2 whole cloves
1 pinch of curry powder
1 tbsp ground ginger
Pomegranate seeds

INSTRUCTIONS:

Grate the carrots and ginger, add the half-cut and pitted dates, sprinkle with salt, and then simmer in the oil over a high flame. If the carrots aren’t too fresh, add half a cup of water. Sprinkle in the spices and pour in the honey as well. Then, add in the pomegranate seeds as well. Anyone who likes it can also add raisins. You can also sprinkle in some walnuts, and toast it for another 15 minutes.

INGRIDIENTS:

FOR THE DRESSING:

½ cup of oil
¼ cup honey
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
½ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE SALAD:

4 cups mixed vegetables
1-2 beets, thinly sliced.
1 green apple, cored and thinly sliced.
1 red apple, cored and thinly sliced
4-5 fresh figs, quartered
½ cup pecans toasted with honey
½ cup pomegranate seeds

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a bowl, mix dressing ingredients until emulsified. Set aside.

Arrange beets on the edge of a large serving platter and fill the center with mixed greens. Top the greens with the apple slices and figs. Sprinkle with pecans and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Baby Carrots in Hawaiian Cherry Sauce

8 to 10 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 16 oz cans small, whole baby carrots, with liquid
1 10 oz can maraschino cherries, well drained
1 16 oz can unsweetened pineapple chunks or tidbits, with juice
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp. Lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
2-3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and water in a 4-quart pot. Bring to a boil.
In a separate bowl combine cornstarch gradually with cold water. Mix well to make sure there are no lumps; it should be very smooth. Pour into boiling carrots, stirring gently. Cook about 3 minutes or until just slightly thickened.

Main dishes

POMEGRANATE CHICKEN

This is a simpler version of the original Persian recipe and one of the most flavorful ways to use the delicious autumn and winter fruit for a tasty and festive meal that is both paleo and gluten free.

INGRIDIENTS:

2 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed, cut into 1" cubes
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
½ c chopped walnuts
1 c pomegranate juice
½ c coconut milk
1 tbsp honey
½ c pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare the chicken (taking care to remove any visible fat first as it will turn gummy), shallots, garlic, ginger, and walnuts and set aside. Portion out spices and set aside. This recipe moves quickly, so preparation is useful.
Heat a dutch-oven over medium high heat. Add the coconut oil, and heat until it shimmers.
Add the diced chicken to the dutch oven, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, and sauté, stirring frequently, until browned and no longer pink.
Add the shallot to the dutch oven, toss to with the chicken, and sauté until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Make a small clearing in the center of the dutch oven and add the garlic and ginger. Sautee, stirring continuously, until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the spices, salt, and pepper, stirring thoroughly into the chicken, and sauté until toasted and fragrant.
Add the walnuts and stir into the chicken. Add the pomegranate juice, continuously scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the dutch oven until the juice stops bubbling. Add the coconut milk and honey, then once again stir all ingredients together.
Allow the liquid to come to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Crack the lid and simmer an additional 10 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and the chicken is starting to fall apart. Stir occasionally throughout these 30 minutes to prevent scorching.
Ladle the chicken over steamed rice, couscous, cauliflower rice, or your base of choice. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. Serve immediately. Leftovers keep in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Tzimmes" Chicken with Apricots, Prunes, and Carrots

by Epicuros

Ingredients

Makes 8-10 servings
2 whole chickens (about 2 kg), broken down into 8 pieces, wings and backbones...
1 kg carrots, preferably young carrots with greens attached, halved lengthwise or...
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2" wedges
20 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 cups dried apricots
1 1/2 cups dried prunes
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
12 garlic cloves, peeled
Parsley leaves with tender stems (optional, for serving)

Preparation

Arrange the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 200°C. Season the chicken pieces with 2 teaspoons of salt.
Mix the honey, oil, lemon juice, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces, carrots, onions, garlic, apricots, prunes, and thyme, and toss to coat. Divide the ingredients between 2 lined baking sheets, except for the chicken. Combine the wine and ½ cup water in a 2-cup measuring cup, then pour half over each baking sheet.
Cover the pans tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Remove the foil, divide the chicken between the pans, and continue baking until the carrots are tender when pierced with a fork and the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
Put the chicken mixture on a serving dish. Pour the pan juices over it. Sprinkle with carrot greens or parsley before serving.

Desserts

INGRIDIENTS:

For the dough:

190 g flour
50 g granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
115 g butter
60 ml ice-cold water

For the filling:

2 large apples, peeled and sliced
50 g honey
1.5 tablespoons of flour
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 handfuls of walnuts (half whole, half chopped)

INGRIDIENTS:

To make the dough, mix the flour, granulated sugar and salt together, then grate in the cold butter using a large-holed pastry grater. Mix quickly, then add the really ice-cold water and knead into a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour (you can make the dough up to 48 hours earlier).

Peel the apple, cut out the core and slice thinly. Mix with the lemon juice and honey, then the spices and leave to stand for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

Roll out the dough on a floured board, roughly into a circle and stack the apples in the middle of the dough. Leave a 5 to 7 cm border free on the edge of the dough and fold it over the filling. Then brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with chopped walnuts, place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve the apple pie with salted caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

INGRIDIENTS:

2 baking pans (22 cm diameter)
2 large eggs
225 g (1 cup and 2 tablespoons) sugar
one and a half cup (360 ml) of lukewarm water
1/2 cup (160 g) strawberry jam
2/3 cup (225 g) honey
3/4 cup (180 ml) rapeseed oil
1/4 cup (450 g) white flour
2 flat spoons (15 g) baking soda
2 flat spoons (15 g) baking powder
one and a half teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of cloves
2-3 apples (Granny Smith) cut into cubes (thin slices can also be placed on top of the cake)

INGRIDIENTS:

Heat the oven to 160 degrees. Grease a baking pan with oil.

In a bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar and in another bowl, mix the water, jam, honey and oil. Add this to the egg bowl and mix to a smooth paste.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix until a smooth mixture is obtained (overmixing can damage the light, airy consistency of the cake).

Pour the mixture into the cake tins and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the honey cake comes out with crumbs.

Rosh Hashanah round challah

INGRIDIENTS:

580 g flour
7 g instant yeast or 5 g fresh yeast
2 teaspoons salt
180 ml lukewarm water
90 ml vegetable oil
130 g honey
3 eggs
1 egg yolk

How to make:

Mix the flour, instant yeast, and salt in a mixer. (If using fresh yeast, first dissolve it in half the water, mix in a teaspoon of sugar, and leave to stand in a warm place for 15 minutes.)

In a separate bowl, mix together the lukewarm water, oil, honey, 2 eggs, and 1 egg yolk. Add this to the dry ingredients and knead on medium-low speed until you have a sticky dough that sticks to the bottom of the bowl (about 5-7 minutes). The dough may seem too wet, but this is how it should be.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead it with floured hands into a soft, smooth ball. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turn it over once so that the top is also lightly oiled, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours, until it doubles in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle with flour. The dough will collapse. Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll each piece into a snake about 50 cm long.

As shown in the video, braid them into a round loaf. Carefully transfer the braided loaves to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the loaves loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm, draft-free place until they have approximately doubled in size, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the middle position.

Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the risen dough generously with the beaten egg. (You can sprinkle a little sesame seeds on top). Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the crust turns a rich brown color.

Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. It tastes best when fresh, but the leftovers can be stored for a few days.

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