Livia Well

ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

Food

that holiday food not only celebrates
the New Year but is symbolic of the
hopes for the coming year.
Eshana tova — May you be
inscribed for a good year.

Stuffed veal breast
with roast potatoes.

A

s another year ends, anoth-
er begins. It's truly the cir-
cle of life and one reason
we eat round foods each
Rosh HaShana.
Another aspect of this circle is the
handing down of family recipes to be
repeated each year during the holi-
days.
It has been said that imitation is
the sincerest form of flattery. When it
comes to the Jewish holiday kitchen,
imitation becomes tradition. It's the
reason we eat foods like those our
families prepared in the old country.
And it's the reason there is something
called Jewish cooking.
So what are the entrees of Rosh
HaShana? If local cooks are any indi-
cation, the menus are predictably
similar. On the short list of nearly
everyone I spoke with was beef
brisket. A close second is chicken of
some sort. Third place goes to
tzimmes.
Just how imaginative can one be
with these staple foods? The right
answer is why would one want to be
imaginative? Unlike side dishes and
desserts, people aren't looking for
gimmicks and clever twists to family
favorites. Most folks don't want to
fool with tradition.
On the other hand, just cooking a
favorite can be challenging. Poultry
goes from juicy to dry in minutes
(although I once heard a joke with a
punch line something like "in Jewish
cooking there's no such thing as an
overcooked turkey"). And brisket, a
truly tough cut of meat, needs long,
slow cooking. A quick remedy to
tough or chewy brisket? Cook it
longer.
Still, we're always looking for new
recipes, even for old favorites.
Cooking, especially during the hol-
idays, is often a job for many people.
With few exceptions, many families
rely on everybody bringing a dish.

TRADITIONAL ROAST TURKEY
BREAST
from Candy Sherman, West
Bloomfield
5-7 pound turkey breast
with the bone and skin
salt and pepper to taste
Lawrey's or other seasoning salt
garlic powder (not salt)
paprika
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup of chicken broth — strain
the gravy in the pan juices
(not thickened)
Preheat the oven to 325F. Wash
the turkey breast and pat it dry.
Season the breast with salt and pep-
per, seasoning salt, garlic powder and
paprika. Pour the olive oil over the
turkey breast and rub it and the sea-
sonings into skin.
Place the breast in a roasting pan
and pour the chicken breast into the
pan, around the breast. Roast the
breast, uncovered, for about 2 hours,
basting occasionally, until the juices
run clear when the breast is pricked
with a fork.
Let the turkey stand for about 5
minutes before carving and serving
with the strained pan juices. Makes
12 or more servings.

And some can be given an assign-
ment they are not familiar with. But
help is here! The following recipes are
from local cooks known for their deli-
cious holiday food. These prepared
recipes are must-haves for many holi-
day tables around town.
The recipes have been modified to
help with the uncertainty of "pinches"
and "a little of this." Again, although
these recipes haven't been officially
tested, they seem logical and work-
able. Some include short-cut ingredi-
ents like soup mixes and ketchup.

You'll find a few "to tastes" when it
comes to seasoning. Don't be discour-
aged by these. While one can't very
well taste the seasoning on raw foods,
it's the cook's duty to taste foods
before they're served. A quick shake
of salt and pepper will change an oth-
erwise "blah" though well-prepared
food into a delicious treat. That said,
it's best to err on the side of less sea-
soning than more. It's tough to
remove saltiness and easy to add it.
This year when you "eat good food
and drink sweet wine," remember

FAYE'S ROLLED STUFFED VEAL
BREAST
from Faye Schreiber, Oak Park
One 4-pound flat, boneless veal
breast, unrolled,
visible fat removed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. crumbled dry rosemary
or tarragon
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
16 ounces (1 pound) thin-sliced
turkey pastrami (save a few slices

1
9/1
20(i

12