To Life! Food Cooking For A Crowd With the holidays approaching, here's some tips for those abundant gatherings. ANNABEL COHEN Special to the Jewish News I t happens every year: What began as a simple Rosh - Hashanah dinner for six blos- soms into a dinner for 12 — or more. Here's a bit of help. The following main-course recipes each serve 12. Really. You can offer two choices, but you'll have some leftovers, which is okay, too. The recipes also offer the added benefit of seasonality. With Rosh Hashanah beginning in about a month (erev Rosh Hashanah is on Monday, Oct. 3, this year), fall ingredients like maple syrup, citrus, dried fruits and nuts are welcome additions to our menus. ROAST CHICKEN PIECES WITH GINGER ORANGE MAPLE GLAZE two 3 1/2-pound chickens, cut into 6 or 8 pieces, breast backbones removed, excess fat trimmed (alter- nately you may purchase individual parts, such as breasts, thighs and drumsticks - figure one breast or thigh or two drumsticks per person) 1/4 cup olive oil kosher salt and pepper to taste Glaze: 1/2 cup minced onion 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 1 Tbsp. mince ginger root 2 cups orange juice 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup ketchup 1 Tbsp. dried dill weed grated zest of 1 orange or lemon salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 425F. Rub chicken pieces with olive oil and sprinkle gen- erously with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken, skin side down, in a large disposable aluminum pan or in one or two large roasting pans (it's okay to crowd the chicken). Roast the chicken for 15 minutes (if . 9/ 1 2005 24 you have two ovens, put one pan in each oven if using more than one pan; if you have one oven, _ place pans - if using more than one - on separate shelves and switch positions during the second cooking.) Use tongs (not a fork) to turn the chicken over and cook for 15 minutes more. Note: You may prepare the chicken up to this point a day ahead and finish cooking the day you plan to serve it. While the chicken is cooking, make the glaze. Combine all glaze ingredi- ents except salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Rechice the heat to medium and cook, stirring fre- quently, for about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and strain pan juices. Add 1 cup of strained juices to the pan and cook for 10 minutes more. Discard remaining juices or keep for another use. Place the chicken back in the pan, skin side up, and drizzle the glaze over. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes more. Makes 12 servings. BEEF BRISKET WITH DRIED FRUITS 4 cups thin-sliced onions 1 cup golden raisins 1 cup dried cherries 1 cup diced dried apricots 2 Tbsp. minced garlic 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon two 4-5 pound flat-cut beef briskets 2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper 2 cups red wine, any variety 4 cups (1 quart) beef broth Preheat to 300°F. Arrange onions over the bottom of one or two very large roasting pans or disposable alu- minum pans. Sprinkle the raisins, cherries, apricots and garlic over the onions. Sprinkle with the cinnamon. Arrange briskets over the onion-and- fruit mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the wine and broth around the brisket." Cover the pan tightly with foil and roast for 3 hours. Cool the brisket for one hour before chilling overnight. Remove the foil from the chilled brisket and remove any solid fat from the juices and discard. Remove the brisket to a cutting board and place the juices/sauce in a large bowl. Have ready two clean glass or ceramic bak ing pans or disposable aluminum pans. Slice brisket thinly across grain and place in the clean pans (form back into the whole brisket shape). Pour the juices over and around the sliced brisket and cover with foil. Heat the brisket at 300F for one hour. Reduce heat to 250F to keep the brisket warm and brown the top until ready to serve. Makes 12-16 servings. CHICKEN WITH RED WINE AND TOMATOES This is a great make-ahead recipe. 12 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 pounds) 1 cup flour 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 1 1/2 cups dry red wine 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained 3 beef bouillon cubes 3 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes 1 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled 1 tsp. dried sage salt and pepper to taste 2 Tbsp. drained capers Preheat oven to 350F. Trim excess fat from chicken breasts. Place the flour in a shallow bowl or plate and dredge the breasts in the flour, patting to remove excess flour, and set aside. Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add as many chicken breasts as you can and brown on both sides. As the chicken is browned (it will not be cooked through), transfer to a large baking dish (you may need two). Prepare all the breasts in this fashion. Set aside. Add any remaining oil, onions and garlic to the pan and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes: Add the wine, tomatoes, bouillon cubes, pars- ley, thyme and sage and bring to a boil. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by about a third. Remove from heat and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the capers. Pour the sauce over the chicken. (You may cover and chill the chicken at this point and finish cooking it the follow- ing day). Cover the baking dishes with foil and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 10 minutes more. Makes 12 servings. ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMON, APPLES AND PINENUTS two 3 1/2-pound chickens, cut into 6 or 8 pieces, breast backbones removed, excess fat trimmed (alter- nately you may purchase individual parts such as breasts, thighs, and drumsticks - figure one breast or thigh or two drumsticks per person) 1/4 cup olive oil kosher salt and pepper to taste 4 cups peeled, cored and diced Granny Smith apples 1/2 cup lightly toasted pinenuts 1 bay leaf 1 thinly sliced unpeeled lemon ground paprika, garnish. 12 lemon wedges Preheat oven to 425F. Rub chicken pieces with olive oil and sprinkle gen- erously with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken, skin side down, in a large FOOD on page 26