printSeptember 12, 2008
Rosh Hashanah Recipes
Go beyond brisket. Add something new to your holiday menu.
Amy Landsman
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When Shula Ankri and husband Yaffa welcome guests to their table for Rosh Hashanah, they’ll serve treasured Moroccan recipes handed down from Shula’s mom.
“On Rosh Hashanah we served glazed butternut squash. We serve beef stew with raisins, caramelized onions and a dusting of cinnamon,” Ankri, co-owner with her husband, of Catering by Jaffa on Old Milford Mill Road, explains.
Ankri’s mom is Moroccan, now living in Israel.
“It’s traditional Sephardic,” she says. “We serve sliced tongue with garlic sauce, and of course before we start the meal, we serve anything that is a new food coming out… fresh dates on the vine, new grapes, any new fruit.”
Sephardic Jews hail from Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle East. Most American Jews are Ashkenazi, with roots tracing back to Europe. A fun challenge for Ashkenazi cooks is figuring out how to incorporate Sephardic flavors into menus that probably lean more to brisket and kugel than to hummus and tabouli.
San Francisco chef and cookbook author Joyce Goldstein recommends keeping your main dish traditional, while adding brightly-flavored salads and sides.
“That way,” she observes, your guests “don’t get traumatized right away!”
Goldstein, whose latest cookbook “Mediterranean Fresh” (Norton, 2008) showcases one-plate salad meals and mix-and-match dressings, has been cooking Jewish and non-Jewish Mediterranean food since 1959.
“If you’re doing North African you’ll have preserved lemon, ginger and saffron. If you’re doing Greek and Turkey you’ll have cinnamon, allspice and a little cumin,” she says, noting that mint or dill will also brighten the flavor of your food.
Goldstein recommends serving carrot salad made with orange juice or cinnamon, or perhaps her cracked wheat salad prepared with pomegranates, which represent many blessings. She also recommends a Syrian-Jewish tabouli made with cumin, walnuts and pomegranates, an eggplant and yogurt spread, or smoked trout with horseradish dressing as a starter.
Couscous would be a nice side dish with chicken.
“People are trying to eat healthier,” Goldstein observes. “There’s this whole push toward fresh local seasonal food. In the Mediterranean they’ve been cooking this way for hundreds and hundreds of years… everything was fresh and local… and obviously in season.”
Shula’s Rice with Raisins, Almonds and Caramelized Onions
FOR THE RICE:
2 cups Basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock or water
3 Tbsp oil
3/4 tsp salt
A grind or two of white pepper
1 Tbsp chicken base (optional)
9x13-inch pan
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Soak the rice in hot tap water for ten minutes. Rinse the rice well.
3. Put the rice and remaining ingredients in the pan and cover well.
4. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes.
FOR THE RAISIN, ALMOND AND CARAMELIZED ONION TOPPING:
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup oil
2 medium onions, sliced thin
1 cup raisins
2 cups chicken stock or water
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp white pepper
1. Fry the almonds in the oil until golden brown.
2. Using a slotted spoon, remove the almonds from the oil and set aside.
3. Add the onions to the oil. Cook until golden brown. Add raisins to the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock or water and the spices and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat.
Moroccan Salad of Raw Grated Carrots with Citrus Cinnamon Dressing
from “Mediterranean Fresh” by Joyce Goldstein
FOR THE SALAD:
4 large carrots
1/4 cup citrus cinnamon dressing (recipe follows)
Chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)
1. Grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater.
2.Toss with the dressing, top with nuts if desired and serve.
(For more body and texture, Goldstein recommends briefly cooking the carrots and adding the dressing while warm.)
Citrus Cinnamon Dressing
1/2 cup mild olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Orange flower water (optional)
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a whisk, then add orange flower water to taste, if you like. Serves 4.