Rosh Hashanah Recipes 2015!

With the advent of the Hebrew month of Elul and shofar blowing every morning, it is clear that Rosh Hashanah is just a few weeks away.  We start to prepare the physical aspects of the Holiday, and work to uplift ourselves spiritually,.  We want everything to be special and meaningful for the New Year.  Our meals have particular significance, with Rosh Hashanah “simanim” foods such as beets, carrots, leeks, pomegranates, honey, round challahs, fish, and dates, just to name a few on our table.  In our efforts to elevate ourselves, we give special important characteristics to our foods.  After all “you are what you eat”!   By assigning spiritual attributes to our Rosh Hashanah foods we uplift our meals from the mundane to the holy.  We are saying that we recognize that our foods are not just sustenance, but have the ability to bring us closer to G-d.

I hope that these recipes will help uplift your Rosh Hashanah and the rest of your New Year!  Shanah Tova!!

Pomegranate and dried cherry glazed chicken skewers (20-24 skewers)

The blessing for pomegranates on Rosh Hashana is: “...sheyirbu zechuyotenu” may our merits be increased.

These skewers make a beautiful appetizer. I like to use the ridiculously red Torani pomegranate syrup which gives the skewers a beautiful red color.  It can be found in the liquor section of your local grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can also use any other pomegranate syrup in it’s place.

1 ½-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts - around 3 breasts

2 cups pomegranate syrup (like Torani)

1 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon canola oil

½ cup dried cherries

24 7” long skewers

non-stick vegetable spray

additional dried cherries for garnish

Line a large baking sheet with foil.  Spray with non-stick vegetable spray.  Set aside

Remove the tenders from each chicken breast.  Set aside.  With a very sharp boning knife, slice the chicken breasts in half to give two very thin cutlets. Slice each half into 3 long strips.  Repeat with the remaining cutlets.  If the tenders are thick, slice them in half for 2 thin tenders. 

Thread the chicken onto the skewers.  Place into a large baking dish with at least 2” sides.  Pour the pomegranate syrup over the chicken and let marinate for 30-45 minutes, turning the chicken periodically.

Place the skewers on the prepared baking sheet, reserving the marinade.   Broil on medium, with the pan in the middle of the oven, until the chicken is cooked through but not dry.

While the chicken is baking, place the marinade in a 4 quart pot.  Add the cornstarch, soy sauce and canola oil.  Whisk until the cornstarch is completely blended.  Cook on medium-low heat until the sauce thickens.  Add the dried cherries.  Stir to combine.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove from oven and spoon sauce over them.  Serve warm with additional dried cherries as garnish.

Honeyed spiralized red/gold beet salad

The blessing for honey on Rosh Hashana is: “...shetichadesh aleynu shana tova umetuka” We should have a new good and sweet new year.  The blessing for beets on Rosh Hashana is: “...sheyistalku oyveinu” our adversaries should disappear.

I’m a kitchen gadget lover - but only useful kitchen gadgets!  The latest (and greatest) kitchen gadget to hit the market is the spiralizer.  It takes “boring” vegetables and makes them cool and pretty.  This salad will wow your guests with its taste and beauty.  If you don’t have a spiralizer you can julienne the beets instead.

2 medium yellow/golden beets

2 medium red beets

1/2 small onion thinly sliced

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon dried parsley, or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley

Spiralize the gold beets into a medium bowl, then spiralize the red beets into a separate larger bowl.  Reserve the extra pieces from the spiralizer and set aside for the Beet Borscht. 

Add the onion and honey to the red beets.  Add the gold beets to the larger bowl and toss to combine.  Top with the dried parsley.  Serve room temperature or cold.

Fresh Beet Borscht

When I first started spiralizing beets, I ended up with the extra ends and middles. When you end up with extra beets...you make borscht!  I remember going to my Bubbies house as a young girl and sharing borscht “mit potatoes and sour cream” along with a “glezzle of teh”.  As I’m the only one of my immediate family members who has fond beet memories - this borscht will be all for me!!!

I added beet root powder to this recipe to give the borscht a more beety, borschty flavor.  You can purchase kosher beet root powder on amazon.com or at your local health food store.  If you can’t find it you can just omit it from the recipe.

2 large beets, sliced into 1 ½ by ¼ inch strips

remaining beet scraps from the spiralized beet salad cut into small strips

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons beet root powder (optional) - but give the borscht a more borschty flavor)

8-10 cups water (8 if not adding the beet root powder)

Combine all the ingredients into a large stock pot.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Cook for 1 hour.  Serve hot or cold, topped with boiled potatoes and/or sour cream.  Thanks Bubbie!!!

Honey and Cracked Rosemary Tri-Colored Roasted Carrots 

(1 pound)

The blessing on Rosh Hashanah for carrots is: “...”sheyikareh g’zar dinenu, v’yikru lifanechah zechuyoteinu” The decree of our sentence be torn up, and that our merits be proclaimed before You.

I recently found gorgeous multi-colored baby carrots in my local restaurant supply store.  I was grocery cart snooping (as always!) and the gentleman in the next aisle had them on his industrial sized cart. My first thought was  - ROSH HASHANA! I asked him where he had found them, then ran to grab my own 5 pound package.  Sadly, my package only had orange and yellow ones - there were only 2 package left and none with purple carrots.  Big. Sad. Face.  When I returned with my carrots, sad that I didn’t have the beautiful purple ones  - he gallantly offered to give me his!!! Thank you my fellow shopping hero.  I hope you have a happy and healthy New Year!

You can find multi-colored carrots at Trader-Joe’s and some grocery and fruit stores.

This recipe can be doubled or tripled or quadrupled etc.

1 pound tri-colored carrots

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon wildflower honey

1 teaspoon cracked rosemary, or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped

salt and pepper to taste

non-stick vegetable spray

additional honey for drizzling

Preheat oven to 325℉ or 300℉ convection for a convection oven. 

Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick vegetable spray.  Set aside.

Scrub the carrots clean, then thoroughly dry them. Place them in a large bowl and toss with the oil and honey.  Arrange them on the prepared baking tray, making sure that they don’t overlap.  Sprinkle the rosemary, salt and pepper on the carrots.  Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the carrots.  Return the carrots to the oven and bake for an additional 15-30 minutes until the carrots are slightly browned and soft.

Remove the carrots from the oven and arrange on a serving tray.  Drizzle with additional honey before serving.

No-Bake Pomegranate Mousse Pie  (makes two 9” pies)

This is the perfect light and creamy ending to your huge Yom Tov meal. It’s quick to make, and doesn’t require precious oven time to prepare. Using ready-made graham cracker crusts also speeds up prep time so you have more time to spend with your family and guests!

• 2 9” ready-made graham cracker crust
• .3 ounce package Double Berry Jel Dessert 
• ½ cup Pomegranate Cranberry Juice Blend, cold or room temp (I use Langers)
• 4 cups whipping cream, divided
• Dried cranberries and/or fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish

Combine dessert jel and juice in a small bowl. Fill a small saucepan with 1 ½ inches of water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a very low simmer. Set the small bowl in the saucepan and stir until mix is completely dissolved in the juice and warm to the touch (not hot). Remove from the water and set aside.

Whip 2 cups of whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add the Jel/juice mixture to the whipped cream and re-whip until stiff. Spoon into the ready-made graham cracker crusts. Smooth the top using an offset spatula.

Whip the remaining 2 cups of whipping cream. Spread or pipe decoratively on the top of the filling. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Slice and serve garnished with dried cranberries or fresh pomegranate seeds. Can be made in advance and frozen. Defrost slightly before serving.

Note: For an even bigger pomegranate flavor, add 2 teaspoons of pomegranate extract flavoring to the mousse.

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Dr. Theodore Saltzberg - Tuvia Ben Nachum Z”L

May his memory be for a blessing - Yihi zichro baruch.

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