Rosh Hashana

[Pam R]

My late Dad used to put a shot of slivovitz in the honey cake. I'm thinking of getting a bottle of the stuff (ack!) and spicing up the cake with it in his honor. That bottle would last years; slivovitz is not my favorite. But it does add a certain zing to the cake.

Rye is great in Honey Cake.

[cakewalk]

My late Dad used to put a shot of slivovitz in the honey cake. I'm thinking of getting a bottle of the stuff (ack!) and spicing up the cake with it in his honor. That bottle would last years; slivovitz is not my favorite. But it does add a certain zing to the cake.

Rye is great in Honey Cake.

←

So is brandy. Or scotch. The Moist and Majestic Honey Cake (which has become part of my Rosh Hashana ritual) includes either of these in the recipe. It really makes a difference.

[gini]

I think we cook the same thing every year too!

chopped liver

crackers

possibly something else to munch on

round challah

chicken with raisins and clementines

potato pea curry

some sort of green

possibly koogle, if someone brings it

ceciarchiata

apple torte

[Gifted Gourmet]

Bumping up this thread for Rosh Hashonah of 2008 ... seems like it is that time of the year ....

What will you be making for your holiday meals?

[Pam R]

Thankfully, I'm invited out for both nights, but I will definitely be baking an apple/honey cake to nosh on and I'm hoping I'll have time to make a batch of chicken soup and meat kreplach.

[Lior]

A few of my late granny's recipes:

MANDALACH

soup almonds - like crouton use

3 eggs

2 T. oil

1 t. salt

2 c. flour

Make dough from the above

Roll out fairly thinly and cut in diamond shapes

Fry in deep oil 'til light brown

Lift out of oil and drain

Can keep for a long time - especially in fridge.

Teiglach

2 c. flour

7 eggs less 2 whites

1 -2 t. ginger

2 T salad oil

2 c. honey

1 c. sugar

11/2 c. cold water

3/4 c. boiling water or coffee

Knead together the flour, eggs, ginger and oil. Make into various shapes.

Bring honey sugar and 11/2 c water to a boil

Drop in the taiglach and boil on high about 10/12 minutes keeping the pot airtight

Bring temp. to medium and boil another 10-15 mins.

Open lid and stir occasionally for another 35 mins.

Remove from stove and pour boiling water/coffee over taiglach and stir to loosen them

Place taiglach on a wet board and sprinkle with sugar

Imberlach

12 c. grated carrots

7 c. sugar

Juice and grated rinds of 1 lemon

Juice and grated rinds of 2 oranges

3 t ginger

crushed walnuts (optional)

water to cover in a large pot

Boil carrots and sugar rapidly, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally

Add juice of lemon and oranges, all grated rinds, and ginger

To test if ready, take a spoonful and place on saucer and allow to cool. If mixture holds firmly it is ready to come off the stove.

Wet a pastry board slightly with cold water and pour mixture on it. Smooth down with a knife into a slab about 2cm. thick.

Allow to set over night. Cut diagonally into strips to form diamond shapes

If mixture is too soft it can be reboiled

[Lior]

We do a sephardic seder for Rosh Hashana, due to my MIL, who is Yemenite, and my SIL, who is Iraqi. Here it is and the kids love it as it is a tradition, even though we are not really observant!!. It is based on foods whose qualities or names or roots of the word become symbolic and before eating each one, a prayer of revelance to this food is said:

Example:

head of fish or lamb- prayer says something like "May we be the head and not the tail"

Pomegranates - the seeds are numerous, close to the 613 good deeds one is supposed to fulfill every year, so the prayer" May we do as many good deeds as the number of seeds in a pomegranate"

carrot - in Hebrew same word as for "decree" - May the evil decrees against us be torn up and our good deeds remembered

Beets - same as the word be taken away- "May our enemies be taken away from us"

Apples and honey Apples dipped in honey or sugar, which is most popular, uses the taste of the honey to symbolize sweetness in the coming year This prayer asks that God‘s judgment be soaked in sweetness.

Black eyed peas plays off the words ‚ ‘rov‘ which means ‘many‘, May our many positive deeds during the year be taken into account during the days of judgment.

Thse are most of them, but not all.

[bloviatrix]

Laura Frankel has what looks like a fabulous Apple Cake w/Apple Cider Zabaglione recipe. The only thing holding me back is that it calls for an 8" spring-form.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Now that I think of it, I might try that zabalione with my normal apple cake ...

The use of olive oil in the cake shown sounds off-putting to me ...

Mine uses peanut or plain vegetable oil ...

[BeeZee]

A few of my late granny's recipes:

Imberlach

12 c. grated carrots

7 c. sugar

Juice and grated rinds of 1 lemon

Juice and grated rinds of 2 oranges

3 t ginger

crushed walnuts (optional)

water to cover in a large pot

Boil carrots and sugar rapidly, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally

Add juice of lemon and oranges, all grated rinds, and ginger

To test if ready, take a spoonful and place on saucer and allow to cool. If mixture holds firmly it is ready to come off the stove.

Wet a pastry board slightly with cold water and pour mixture on it. Smooth down with a knife into a slab about 2cm. thick.

Allow to set over night. Cut diagonally into strips to form diamond shapes

If mixture is too soft it can be reboiled

←

Lior, I have a question about this recipe, since it's unfamiliar to me but I find it intriguing...it looks like this is a sweet for dessert, what kind of texture is it? Should it set overnight in the refrigerator?

Edited September 22, 2008 by BeeZee (log)

[Lior]

Hello. It is a sweet, yes. I haven't had it for about 7 years so I cannot remember texture. My Granny used to make it, and then my mom did a few times after my Granny passed away. I remember liking it a lot though. I will ask my mom about texture and fridge, although I think it sat out on the counter.

[scubadoo97]

We do a sephardic seder for Rosh Hashana, due to my MIL, who is Yemenite, and my SIL, who is Iraqi.

We do this seder as well. Our usual offerings are

Leek, swiss chard or spinich, dates, gourd, black eyed peas, pomegrantate and sheep head or fish.

This little seder is my wife's favorite part

[bloviatrix]

We do a sephardic seder for Rosh Hashana, due to my MIL, who is Yemenite, and my SIL, who is Iraqi.

We do this seder as well. Our usual offerings are

Leek, swiss chard or spinich, dates, gourd, black eyed peas, pomegrantate and sheep head or fish.

This little seder is my wife's favorite part

←

We do the ashkenaz version of the seder. Leeks, carrots, dates, fish heads, I'm blanking on the rest right now. I'm my favorite part of the meal as well. It just makes it more meaningful.

[JFLinLA]

Oy, panicking! And the kid -- now a sophomore in college on the other coast -- wants me to make and send him a challah.

[Lior]

I agree that the seder part gives meaning and is our favorite part as well!! Howlovely to send your son a challah at college!! I assume he doesn't come for the holiday? I bet he will be a bit homesick and the challah will be really nice for him!! I love fresh leafy salad with sprinkled pomegranates on top. I add pomegranate concentrate to the salad dressing as well.

[JFLinLA]

By the way, I have "recovered" a very old Jewish cookbook. "Jewish Cookery: In accordance with the Jewish Dietary Laws" by Leah W. Leonard was originally published in 1949. The version I have is in pretty good shape and seems to be a present to my mother, newly married in the early 1950's, from her sister.

It's nearly 500 pages and seems pretty comprehensive so, if you want any classic, old-fashioned, Ashkanazi recipes for this or any other holiday, just ask.

[cakewalk]

By the way, I have "recovered" a very old Jewish cookbook.  "Jewish Cookery: In accordance with the Jewish Dietary Laws" by Leah W. Leonard was originally published in 1949.  The version I have is in pretty good shape and seems to be a present to my mother, newly married in the early 1950's, from her sister. 

It's nearly 500 pages and seems pretty comprehensive so, if you want any classic, old-fashioned, Ashkanazi recipes for this or any other holiday, just ask.

←

That actually sounds fascinating. Do they say anything about tzimmes? Different recipes? I would like to make a non-meat tzimmes and I don't really like the looks of most of the recipes I've found so far.

[JFLinLA]

That actually sounds fascinating. Do they say anything about tzimmes? Different recipes? I would like to make a non-meat tzimmes and I don't really like the looks of most of the recipes I've found so far.

←

Cakewalk -- Tzimmes galore. I've put a * by the ones where meat is an integral component. In a few others, they only have beef suet or chicken fat so you could easily substitute oil. Seems that pressure cookers were the new-found kitchen time saver in the 1940's. Here are the varieties, mostly their titles:

Carrot Tzimmes *

Carrot Tzimmes (Pressure Cooker Method) *

Tzimmes Knaidle (Dumpling)

Tzimmes of Carrots (Meatless)

Lima Bean Tzimmes (Balkan Style)

Rutabaga Tzimmes * (Also contains a recipe for a milchig variation)

Tzimmes of Dried Fruits (Balkan Style) (contains 2 variations on the recipe)

Varieties of Prune Tzimmes

Prune & Farfel Tzimmes *

Prune & Farfel Tzimmes (Pressure Cooker Method) *

Prune & Farfel Tzimmes (Meatless or Milchig) (also has pressure cooker method)

Prune & Potato Tzimmes * (also has pressure cooker method & 2 variations of the basic recipe including one that is milchig)

Prune & Rice Tzimmes * (Without Sweetening) (also has 2 variations of the basic recipe including one milchig)

So, let me know what interests you.

Also, I've haven't tried any of these recipes and could use some guidance on how I can pass the info along here given the copyright, even if it's from 1949.

[cakewalk]

Wow, that's an impressive list! Lima bean tzimmes. Rutabaga tzimmes.

Let me sleep on this one. (It's late.) I'm pretty sure I'd like to work out a combination of the Tzimmes of Carrots and the Prune and Potato Tzimmes. Not sure what to do about the copyright stuff.

If you were going to make tzimmes, which would you chose? Would you combine several?

Thank you.

[JFLinLA]

By the way, I have "recovered" a very old Jewish cookbook.  "Jewish Cookery: In accordance with the Jewish Dietary Laws" by Leah W. Leonard was originally published in 1949.  The version I have is in pretty good shape and seems to be a present to my mother, newly married in the early 1950's, from her sister. 

It's nearly 500 pages and seems pretty comprehensive so, if you want any classic, old-fashioned, Ashkanazi recipes for this or any other holiday, just ask.

←

And, just because I'm in the mood at the moment, here are the chapter titles from the book. (I hope I don't regret posting this.)

Calendar of Jewish Holidays and Food Associations

Traditional Ceremonials and Food Customs in the Jewish Home

What Every Cook Should Know

Kosher Kitchen Questions and Answers (Rules for Kashruth)

Sabbath and Holiday Food Traditions and Recipes

Preparations and Recipes of Passover

Food Customs and Recipes in Israel

Breads, Bagels and Rolls

Breakfast Begins the Day

The Egg and You

Dairy Dishes and Meatless Meals

Soups for All Seasons

Fresh Fish and Good Herring

Organ Meats

Beer, Lamb and Veal

Poultry

Sauces for Meats, Poultry, Fish and Vegetables

Vegetables

Legumes and Grains

"Let Them Eat Cake" -- Many Kinds

Cookies

Exterior and Interior Cake Decoration (Sorry, gotta wonder, do you decorate cake differently if you are outdoors?)

Pies and Shtrudel

Puddings, Sweet and otherwise

Custards and Kindred Desserts

Appetizers and the Hostess Tray

Quick-Easies for Home Parties

Homemade Frozen Desserts

Beverages

Homemade Pickles and Relishes

Home Canning

Jellies and Jams

Quick Frozen Foods in the Home

Guide for Canning Fruits

Guide for Canning Vegetables

Magic Meals Out of Cans

Index

[cakewalk]

That actually sounds fascinating. Do they say anything about tzimmes? Different recipes? I would like to make a non-meat tzimmes and I don't really like the looks of most of the recipes I've found so far.

←

Cakewalk -- Tzimmes galore. I've put a * by the ones where meat is an integral component. In a few others, they only have beef suet or chicken fat so you could easily substitute oil. Seems that pressure cookers were the new-found kitchen time saver in the 1940's. Here are the varieties, mostly their titles:

Carrot Tzimmes *

Carrot Tzimmes (Pressure Cooker Method) *

Tzimmes Knaidle (Dumpling)

Tzimmes of Carrots (Meatless)

Lima Bean Tzimmes (Balkan Style)

Rutabaga Tzimmes * (Also contains a recipe for a milchig variation)

Tzimmes of Dried Fruits (Balkan Style) (contains 2 variations on the recipe)

Varieties of Prune Tzimmes

Prune & Farfel Tzimmes *

Prune & Farfel Tzimmes (Pressure Cooker Method) *

Prune & Farfel Tzimmes (Meatless or Milchig) (also has pressure cooker method)

Prune & Potato Tzimmes * (also has pressure cooker method & 2 variations of the basic recipe including one that is milchig)

Prune & Rice Tzimmes * (Without Sweetening) (also has 2 variations of the basic recipe including one milchig)

So, let me know what interests you.

Also, I've haven't tried any of these recipes and could use some guidance on how I can pass the info along here given the copyright, even if it's from 1949.

←

Okay, so I would love to see the recipes for:

Tzimmes of Carrots and

Prune & Potato Tzimmes

If the copyright restrictions prevent you from posting them, would you mind sending me a PM?

BTW -- I have a book of recipes compiled from The Forward. The book was published in 1946. I've looked through it, mostly because it's fun as well as funny (" ... take 3 dozen eggs ..."), but the recipes are surprisingly disappointing. I think it's because they tried too hard to Americanize everything. And I cannot find a single recipe for tzimmes!!!

Thanks a lot. Shana Tova!

[Sarabeth]

On another board I saw mention (and a glorious picture) of a bienenstich kuchen: a bee sting cake. I am having a horrible time trying to find a recipe. I make a honey pound cake that is very good, but I'd like to add this to the honey-cakes-that-work file!

L'shanah tovah!

[JFLinLA]

Okay, so I would love to see the recipes for:

Tzimmes of Carrots and

Prune & Potato Tzimmes

If the copyright restrictions prevent you from posting them, would you mind sending me a PM?

BTW -- I have a book of recipes compiled from The Forward. The book was published in 1946. I've looked through it, mostly because it's fun as well as funny (" ... take 3 dozen eggs ..."), but the recipes are surprisingly disappointing. I think it's because they tried too hard to Americanize everything. And I cannot find a single recipe for tzimmes!!!

Thanks a lot. Shana Tova!

←

Cake -- Just sent you a detailed PM. Tell you what, once you experiment with these, perfect them and make them your own, then you can post the recipe for all of us to see and we won't have to worry about the copyright. Mazel Tov and Shanah Tovah.

Jody

[cakewalk]

Okay, so I would love to see the recipes for:

Tzimmes of Carrots and

Prune & Potato Tzimmes

If the copyright restrictions prevent you from posting them, would you mind sending me a PM?

BTW -- I have a book of recipes compiled from The Forward. The book was published in 1946. I've looked through it, mostly because it's fun as well as funny (" ... take 3 dozen eggs ..."), but the recipes are surprisingly disappointing. I think it's because they tried too hard to Americanize everything. And I cannot find a single recipe for tzimmes!!!

Thanks a lot. Shana Tova!

←

Cake -- Just sent you a detailed PM. Tell you what, once you experiment with these, perfect them and make them your own, then you can post the recipe for all of us to see and we won't have to worry about the copyright. Mazel Tov and Shanah Tovah.

Jody

←

Thanks so much. I'm actually looking forward to doing this!

BTW -- I did finally find 2 tzimmes recipes in the book I mentioned -- they were in the index under "sweet potatoes"!! I wasn't crazy about either recipe.

Shana Tova.

[cakewalk]

So I did make tzimmes, sort of a combination of two recipes from JFLinLA and whatever else I thought it needed. It came out great, if I may say so myself. It went more or less like this:

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2" chunks

about 3/4 lb pitted prunes

one very large (enormous, really) red onion, cut into wedges

some fresh ginger, peeled and in 1" chunks, thrown in (don't forget to remove them later)

1 cup orange juice mixed with 1 cup water

3/4 cup honey

salt and pepper

cinnamon

I wanted it to be sweet, but not too sweet. All the recipes I had seen for vegetarian tzimmes looked absolutely cloyingly sweet. Some added a cup of brown sugar in addition to the honey, with fewer vegetables than I've listed above. So I left out the brown sugar altogether and added red onion and ginger. It made for a very nice combination. I first cooked it in a large pot on the stovetop for about 3/4 of an hour. (All of it together.) Then I transferred it to a baking dish (I buttered the baking dish not because I was worried about sticking, but because I wanted some butter in there) and baked at 350 for about an hour. When I transferred it to the baking dish I poured out most of the "syrup." I made a slurry of some flour mixed with a bit of the syrup, and poured it back over tzimmes before it finished baking. And that was it really. It was very good, and I think the addition of the savory elements is what did it. I would definitely do this again. Thanks JFL!