Tag: rosh hashanah recipes

Trio of Sweet Challah Dips

Some people make challah every Shabbos, but I am not one of them. Challah is a huge deal for me. It’s just such a mess and between the kneading, rising and shaping, it’s a whole day affair. That’s why, I make challah once a year. You got it. Just once. My yearly challah baking happens a few weeks before Rosh Hashanah. I whip up lots of sweet varieties, and pack the freezer with enough sweet bread to last us throughout the chagim. My favorite Rosh Hashanah flavors are sweet crumb and marzipan, but I also make some raisin, cinnamon, honey-glazed and of course, chocolate chip. I always make a few za’atar loaves, since it’s my favorite spice of all time.

Now I love sweet challah, but I don’t love dipping it into savory dips. Chocolate chips and garlic just don’t work for me, so I started to make sweet dips to go along with the sweet challah variations. It’s such a fun change from the typical savory dips that we eat during the year, and it makes the Rosh Hashanah meal even more sweet and special.

Now that you have your challah and dips set, what about the other food? I know it’s crunch time, so I put together my (tentative) Rosh Hashanah menu to give you some inspiration!

Sunday Night:
homemade honey challah with assorted toppings
sweet Challah dips
salmon en croute
simanim salad (recipe variation in the video)
roasted butternut and apple soup
honey roasted zaatar chicken
saffron rice
braised leeks
parsnip honey bundt cake with mulled apple cider

Monday:
honey challah with assorted toppings
sweet Challah dips
breaded gefilte fish
pomegranate coleslaw
roasted beet salad
tzimmes roast
lokshin and cabbage
braised leeks
honey hasselback baked apples with ice cream (minus the brie)

(continued below)

Monday Night:
assorted new fruits
honey challah with assorted toppings
sweet Challah dips
simanim ceviche
rainbow slaw
whole roasted chicken
honey mustard roasted potatoes
sauteed beet greens
mini pumpkin pies (I use this filling in mini pie shells)
parsnip honey bundt cake with mulled apple cider

Tuesday:
honey challah with assorted toppings
sweet Challah dips
fig salmon
roasted eggplants with tahini & pomegranate seeds
arugula waldorf salad
pomegranate molasses roast
mini pumpkin pies (I use this filling in mini pie shells)
cranberry green beans
sticky date pudding

What great dishes are you making for Rosh Hashanah? Share them with me in the comments below!

Halva Dip

1/2 cup tahini paste
1/4 cup silan (date honey)
3 tbsp water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk until emulsified. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit more water until desired consistency is reached.

VARIATION: for chocolate halva dip, stir in some melted chocolate.

SUBSTITUTE: if you can’t find silan, you may use honey instead.

Pumpkin Dip

1 15oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
Pinch of sea salt

Add all the ingredients to a pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

VARIATION: Use roasted butternut squash instead of pumpkin.

Beet Hummus

1 15oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium beet, roasted
2 tbsp light olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
honey, to taste

To roast the beet, wrap in foil and roast at 400 degrees until fork-tender, about one hour. Set aside to cool.

Peel the beet and roughly chop. Add to a food processor with the chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and honey and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. If needed, add additional oil to adjust consistency.

QUICK & EASY: blend store-bought hummus with a roasted beet (will taste more savory).

Related Recipes:

Honey Challah with Assorted Toppings

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Savory Pomegranate Roast
with Garlic & Cipollini Onions

I’m not really one of those people that goes into the butcher knowing what type of roast I want to make for the holidays. I just look for what’s on sale, or which roast is going to give me the most bang for my buck and I take it home. Once you understand the basics to purchasing and preparing kosher meat, you don’t have to feel stuck on a certain cut and you can feel free to choose.

It was a few days before Rosh Hashanah when I unwrapped my square roast, wondering how I would prepare it. I had so many sweet side dishes that I wanted to go for something savory – but I also wanted to play on the Jewish New Year concept. I decided to work with pomegranate molasses – a tangy condiment that’s made by reducing pomegranate juice, and pair it with savory ingredients like garlic, onions and rosemary.

When you’re preparing a new recipe and testing it on a roast, it’s always a guessing game on just how tender it’s going to turn out. I usually like to use wine or tomatoes to help tenderize my meats, but I was shocked to see how soft and buttery this roast came out without it. It was so tender, you could eat it with a spoon! And the gravy – oh my! It was thick and delicious, with a hint of tang, filled with creamy pieces of garlic and cipollini onions that practically melted into the sauce. I’d definitely call this a winner, and that’s why I’m posting it! Chag Sameach!

Savory Pomegranate Roast with Garlic & Cipollini Onions

3-4 lb. Square Roast (a cut from the Chuck – you may substitute with French, Brick or Chuck Roast)
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
8 large cipollini onions, peeled (use more if they are small)
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 sprigs rosemary
1 1/4 cups beef or chicken stock
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses (I use Sadaf Pomegranate Concentrate)

Method:

Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or oven-safe pot and sear the roast on all sides. Remove from the pot. Add additional oil, if needed, and saute the cipollini onions, until browned and caramelized in spots. Return the roast to the pot and deglaze with stock. Add garlic, rosemary and pomegranate molasses and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover the pot, and bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours. Turn the roast over and bake for an additional hour.

NOTE: You’ll have plenty of gravy, so feel free to serve this alongside mashed potatoes.

FREEZING: This roast freezes beautifully. To freeze, wait until the roast is completely cool and cut into slices. Double wrap the sliced roast in foil, label and freeze. Pour the gravy into a large container, label and freeze. The night before you’re ready to serve, place the roast and gravy in the refrigerator. Before serving, place the sliced roast in a pot or pan and pour gravy over it. Cook on the stovetop, or in the oven, until heated through.

Other Roast Recipes:

tzimmes roast
Rosh Hashanah roast
beer braised brisket with onion gravy
crockpot pulled BBQ brisket

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Angel Hair Pasta Salad


I’ve really got to start cooking from cookbooks again. It’s literally been years since I’ve made something from a cookbook. And it’s not because I don’t have any – trust me. I’ve got more cookbooks than I have room for in my small Brooklyn home. They’re all just sitting there on the shelf, like figurines on display, looking pretty!

I usually only take my cookbooks out on Shabbos, when I browse through them like an old photo album. I drool over the good recipes, sigh over the bad ones, and then return them to the bookshelf. Once in a while I promise myself to try a recipe, but I usually forget or don’t get around to it.

Recently, my Shabbos guest was looking though my cookbook collection and she asked me what my favorite recipes were from some of my cookbooks. It made me realize that cookbooks are not just for browsing – some of them have really good recipes that I should actually be cooking. She told me some of her favorites dishes from the cookbooks we had in common (like Smitten Kitchen, Jerusalem, Plenty, The Kosher Palette, Kosher by Design and others) and I promised myself I would give them a try.

It really hit home this week because for the first time in a while, I was stumped. I had planned on an apple and honey dessert for the blog, but sadly, it flopped (yes, that happens to me!) and I couldn’t think of anything else that I wanted to post. Until, I was speaking to my friend and she mentioned a recipe for angel hair pasta that she was making for dinner. She said it had mushrooms and leeks – and when I heard leeks, I was all over it. My mind started racing, thinking about all the ways I could turn it into a Simanim salad – filled with lots symbolic foods that we eat on Rosh Hashanah.

I went straight for some of my favorite Rosh Hashanah foods – beets and pomegranates – keeping things mess-free with golden beets. The pomegranates add great crunch, and the honey rounds it all out with a hint of sweetness.

So thanks to Dina (and whoever came up with the original recipe), for getting my creative juices flowing again.I can’t wait to dust off my cookbooks and open my eyes (and palate) to a new range of recipes! Shall we call it a New Year’s Resolution?

What are some of your favorite cookbook recipes? Share them in the comments below!

Angel Hair Pasta Salad

1 medium golden beet
1 box angel hair pasta
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, cleaned and sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds, for garnish
fresh parsley, for garnish

Dressing:

scant 1/2 cup extra light olive oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 heaping tbsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Scrub the beet clean and wrap in foil. Bake at 400 degrees until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. While the beet is cooking, prepare the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the angel hair pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and drain. Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing. Peel and dice the beet into small cubes and stir into the pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add leeks and mushrooms. Saute until soft and caramelized and add to the pasta.

Place the pasta in a serving bowl and garnish with pomegranate seeds and parsley sprigs.

NOTE: this salad may be served warm, cold or at room temperature.

VARIATION: For a healthier option, use spaghetti squash in place of the angel hair pasta and reduce the amount of oil in the dressing.

Related Recipes:

Israeli couscous salad with roasted beets, carrots and parsnips
holiday salad with apple and honey vinagrette

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Tzimmes Roast

Somebody pinch me, I can’t believe Rosh Hashanah is around the corner! I mean, where did the summer go? It’s hard to believe my kids have already started school and we’re about to embark on a new journey for the year 5775.

If it weren’t for the smell in the air, I would be keeping my kid’s bathing suits around. Instead, I’m packing them up with their bright summery wardrobes, and filling their closets with warm winter sweaters. What is it about that smell – that special something in the air that tells me that the Hebrew month of Tishrei is just around the bend. Can you smell it too?

It’s that slight fall breeze and the freshness of falling leaves that runs through my veins, bringing up memories of bygone Tishrei’s. Weeks filled with the hustle and bustle of Yom Tov prep that culminate in the awe-inspiring day of Yom Kippur and end with the joyous celebrations of Succot. So many feelings of regret, sadness, gratitude, hope, inspiration all wrapped up in the September breeze…it’s intoxicating.

The power of scent is truly extraordinary. It can evoke the deepest memories and trigger rememberences from childhood and beyond. The smell of tzimmes simmering on the stove brings me back to the Jewish New Year’s of my youth; honey dripping from my chin, counting the pomegranate seeds at the table.

There’s nothing like tzimmes to evoke memories of Rosh Hashanah, so I decided to do a little twist on the classic recipe.  Cooking the sweet carrot hash alongside a roast is a great way to make the best of your Yom Tov meat without having to cook your tzimmes separately. You can serve it all up on a platter and wow your guests with traditional Rosh Hashanah food, redefined.

Here’s to the start of many sweet things – from our food, to our lives. May we all be blessed to create the sweetest of memories this year!

Tzimmes Roast

2 lb. mock tender (see note)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large carrots, approx 1 lb., peeled and sliced
1 lg or 2 small sweet potatoes, approx 1 lb., peeled and diced
1 cup canned pineapple tidbits (reserve juice)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
heaping 1/4 c honey
1/4 cup pitted dried prunes, optional

Method:

Heat a dutch oven or oven-safe pot and add olive oil. Season the roast with salt and pepper and sear on all sides. Place carrots, sweet potatoes, prunes (if using), pineapple tidbits and all the juice from the can (it should equal about a cup, if it’s less, add water to equal a cup) around the roast. Sprinkle the vegetables with cinnamon and nutmeg and drizzle with honey. Season, to taste, with salt. Cover the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from the fire and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Flip the roast, stir the carrots, and bake for an additional hour.

Remove the roast from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice and place on a platter. Place the tzimmes around the roast and drizzle remaining sauce over the meat.

NOTE: The mock tender is a large kolichol cut from the shoulder. If your butcher does not carry it, use a shoulder roast instead.

VARIATON: use 1 cup orange juice instead of pineapple juice.

Related Recipes:

Rosh Hashanah Roast
honey roasted za’atar chicken with dried fruit
couscous with honey roasted carrots, parsnips and beets

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Holiday Salad with Apple & Honey Vinaigrette


When I first developed this salad recipe, I did not have Rosh Hashanah in mind. In fact, it was just about getting creative with the ingredients in my refrigerator (which is pretty much how all my salads happen). When all the components came together, it just screamed holiday, and I knew I had to share it for the upcoming Chag.

Although figs are not one of the traditional fruits eaten on Rosh Hashanah (like pomegranates, apples and beets), it’s a good idea to take advantage of the season’s bounty. Fig season is short and sweet, and besides, they are one of the Seven Species of the Land of Israel. The figs add a chewy texture, sweet flavor, and beautiful color to the salad making it the perfect holiday appetizer.

Fresh figs are not the only bright piece to this beautiful salad puzzle. Chioggia beets also add amazing color and design. On the outside, the humble root vegetable is unassuming (ie. ugly). But when you cut into it – you get the most beautiful candy cane spiral that is almost too magical to eat. The thing about chioggia beets is that when you cook them, that beauty all but disappears into a dull pinky beige mass. To appreciate the bright pink spirals, candy cane beets should be eaten raw – shaved thinly on a mandolin.

Holiday Salad:

1 pkg mixed greens
1-2 chioggia (candy cane) beets, thinly sliced on a mandolin
1 green apple, cored and sliced
1 red apple, cored and sliced
1 container fresh figs, quartered
honey roasted nuts such as walnuts, pecans or almonds
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

Method:

On a serving platter, arrange the beets around the edge and fill the center with mixed greens. Top greens with apples and figs and sprinkle nuts and pomegranate seeds all around.

VARIATION: For a simanim salad (a salad that incorporates many of the symbolic foods traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah), use the following ingredients along with the apple and honey vinaigrette: mixed greens, 1 honeycrisp apple, 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, 1 julienned carrot, 2 chopped medjool dates and shaved chioggia beet. (Watch me make it in the video posted below!)

To further the Holiday theme, I whipped up an “apple and honey” dressing, using apple cider vinegar and sweet honey. If you have a custom not to eat vinegar on Rosh Hashanah (due to it’s sour taste), you may substitute with lemon juice.

Apple & Honey Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 c honey
1/4 c apple cider vinegar (or 3 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tbsp apple juice)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp finely minced shallot
s&p, to taste

Method:

In a bowl, whisk together the dressing until emulsified. Drizzle dressing over salad before serving.

Watch me make a Rosh Hashanah Simanim salad with TorahCafe here:


Watch on TorahCafé.com!

Other Rosh Hashanah Salad Ideas:

rainbow slaw with poppy seed dressing
pomegranate coleslaw
apple celery veggie dip
roasted beet & orange salad
couscous with thyme & honey roasted carrots, parsnips and beets

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