Whew, Rosh Hashanah is coming – a time for reflection, a time for excitement. The Days of Awe they are called, meaning reverential respect mixed with wonder. That’s the way I like to think about Hashem, One Who is so much more than I can imagine, Who loves me unconditionally and totally, no matter what I do, and is there for me whenever I ask. And although I do not always get exactly what I want, I do always find a listening ear.
My father (may his neshama have an aliya) was also there for me. He always had time for me. He enjoyed my company, and gave me some advice and maybe a funny story to make my life just a little bit sweeter.
This year, my oldest will be bat mitzva, and we are excited. What kind of food? What entertainment? Just last night I started thinking, what do I want to have happen at the bat mitzva? The most important thing (for me) would be that Nava knows that my father would have been tickled to be at her bat mitzva celebration, that he would have been so proud of the amazing, wonderful, kind woman she is becoming. It’s been almost three years since my father was niftar, and although it has gotten easier, I still miss him a lot. There are so many things I would share with him if he were here.
Spending time with my father was my biggest treat, so let me mention in passing: Take the time to let your loved ones know how much you appreciate and love them. If they say things the wrong way, I always have found my “translation” method to be very useful: Simply restate what they would want to say, if they knew how. You can bring a little more light to the world by sharing your love.
To help you share the love even more, here are some fun new recipes for Rosh Hashanah, and with Hashem’s help, may your new year be filled with the good and the sweet.
Eggplant with Pomegranate Seeds
I got the following recipe from Plenty, the cookbook by chef Yotam Ottolenghi. The red seeds sitting on top the buttermilk on top of the eggplant are utterly gorgeous.
2 large and long eggplants
1/3 c. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. lemon thyme leaves, plus a few whole sprigs to garnish
Ground sea salt and black pepper
1 pomegranate
1 tsp. za’atar spice
Sauce
9 T. buttermilk (or pareve sour cream)
1/2 c. Greek yogurt (or pareve yogurt)
1 1/2 T. olive oil, plus a drizzle to finish
1 small garlic clove, crushed
Pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 400°. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, cutting straight through the green stalk. (The stalk is for appearance; don’t eat it.) With a small sharp knife make three or four parallel incisions in the cut side of each eggplant half, without cutting through to the skin. Repeat at a 45-degree angle to get a diamond-shaped pattern.
Place the eggplant halves, cut-side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with olive oil until all oil has been absorbed by the flesh. Sprinkle with lemon thyme leaves and some salt and pepper. Roast 35 to 40 minutes, until the flesh is soft, flavorful, and nicely browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
While eggplants are in the oven, cut pomegranate in half horizontally. Hold one half on your palm over a bowl and use the back of a wooden spoon or a rolling pin to gently knock on the pomegranate skin. Continue beating with increasing power until the seeds start falling through your fingers into the bowl. Sift through the seeds to remove any bits of white skin membrane.
For the sauce, whisk together all the ingredients. Taste and add salt or pepper as needed. Chill until needed. To serve, spoon sauce over the eggplant halves without covering the stalks. Sprinkle za’atar and plenty of pomegranate seeds on top and garnish with lemon thyme. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 4 as an appetizer.
Rosh Hashanah Meat Tzimmes
Have you heard of meat tzimmes? I never had, until recently. This recipe seems very similar to Julia Child’s beef bourguignon – and that is never bad. It’s got wine and carrots and spices, so you know it’s going to be good. Then it goes outside the box with prunes and honey, and umami with the soy sauce. The flavor here is bold! That’s our kind of food. Throw it over some rice, which will soak up the juices. Yum. This recipe is ridiculously easy if you have a crock pot.
2 lb. chuck steak
5 peeled and cubed carrots
3 large peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
1 and 1/2 c. prunes, pitted and diced
1 can frozen no-pulp orange juice concentrate, defrosted
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. soy sauce
3/4 c. red wine
Freshly ground pepper
Place sweet potatoes and carrots at the bottom of a crock pot. Add the prunes and the chuck steak. Add the orange juice concentrate. Sprinkle generous amounts of pepper over the mix, then add honey, soy sauce, wine, cinnamon, and ginger. Set the crock pot to low and cook 6 to 8 hours. Serve over rice. Serves 4-6
Ethiopian Lamb Chops
Since when is it a thing to serve lamb on Rosh Hashanah, as if we lived in New Zealand? If you had lamb growing up, please send me a message. We only had brisket.
2 c. green lentils
6 c. water
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 tsp. salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 large cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 tsp. berbere spice blend, plus more for rubbing lamb chops (see recipe below)
1/4 c. juice from 2 lemons
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
8 bone-in lamb rib or loin chops, cut 1 ¼- to 1 1/2-inches thick
1/2 c. packed mint leaves, torn
Add lentils to water in a 4-quart pot. Add onion, garlic, carrot, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss lentils with cucumber, 1/2 tsp. berbere spice, lemon juice, and olive oil. Salt lamb on both sides and let sit at room temperature for 40 minutes while preparing grill. Cover grill and preheat for 10 minutes (get charcoals lit or use electric grill). Clean and oil the grilling grate. Rub a light dusting of berbere spice onto lamb chops. Place chops on cool side of grill, cover with an aluminum pan, and cook. Move lamb to hot side of grill and cook until browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
Toss mint into lentil salad and serve with lamb chops.
Berbere Spice
1/4 c. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried ginger
1/4 tsp. coriander
pinch nutmeg
pinch cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice (didn’t use)
1 tsp. salt
pinch pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
Mix all of the ingredients.
Fall Wheat Berry Salad
1 1/2 c. whole red winter wheat berries
4 1/2 c. water
Kosher salt
3 1/2 pounds beet roots
8 oz. beet leaves and stalks washed and chopped coarsely
1 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 c. white wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
2 sprigs tarragon
3/4 lb. very crisp apples, such as Honeycrisps, cored and diced
4 medium shallots, minced
1 1/2 c. pecans, toasted and roughly crumbled
1 recipe Simple Vinaigrette
Preheat oven to 425°. Put wheat berries and cold water and salt to taste into a medium pot bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until berries are tender with a pleasant chewiness, about 1 1/2 hours. Drain and set aside.
Place trimmed beet roots in a roasting pan, add a couple of tablespoons of water, and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat each beet root. Cover pan with aluminum foil and roast until beets are easily pierced by a fork or paring knife, about 1 hour. Let cool.
Peel beets, trim ends, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 30 seconds. Add chopped beet greens and stems and cook, stirring often, until leaves are fully wilted and stalks are tender, about 10 minutes. Lower heat if necessary to prevent scorching. Season with salt. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine white wine vinegar with 1 c. water, sugar, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and tarragon sprigs. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt.
Place apples and shallots in a stainless steel bowl nested in a larger bowl full of ice water. Pour hot vinegar brine over apples, stirring to chill rapidly. Once cool, discard tarragon and press a clean wet paper towel against the surface to fully submerge apples and prevent oxidation. Set aside or place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
When ready to assemble, drain apples and shallots. Combine wheat berries, beets, beet greens, pickled apples and shallots, and toasted pecans in a large serving bowl. Toss well. Dress with enough vinaigrette to coat, drizzling with extra olive oil to refresh salad if it appears dry. Season with salt and serve.
Salad components can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated separately until ready to serve. This salad can also be assembled in advance, as it improves as the wheat berries absorb flavors from the dressing and other ingredients. (Red beets will stain everything more if salad is assembled in advance, but otherwise there are no downsides.)
To order your simanim platter from Sweet and Good Catering, call 410-900-6640 or send an email to bshor@sweetandgoodcatering.com.
