ANNABEL COHEN
Special to theiewish News
Some siinple planning
creates the side dishes
for Rosh Hashanah.
BALSAMIC GLAZED PEAR,
POTATO AND PEARL ONIONS
Potato Pear Mix:
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 10 oz. bag pearl onions, blanched
and peeled or 2 cups 1-inch onion
chunks
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut
into 1-inch chunks
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage or 2 tsp.
dried
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic glaze:
1 can (about 15 oz.) chicken broth
1 cup balsamic vinegar
Bring a large pot of water to a boil
over high heat. Peel and halve the
potatoes and add to the boiling water.
Cook until barely tender, drain, cool
slightly and cut into 1 1/2-inch
chunks. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400F. Heat oil in a
large nonstick skillet or pot. Add the
onions and garlic and cook, stirring
frequently for about 10 minutes.
Combine the onions, garlic, potatoes,
pears and sage in a baking dish and
roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Meanwhile, make the glaze: bring
broth and vinegar to a boil over high
heat. Continue to boil until the liquid
is reduced to about 1 cup.
To serve, arrange the potato-pear
mixture on a large platter or in a serv-
9/15
2005
26
ing bowl. Drizzle the glaze over and
serve. Makes 8-10 servings.
SIMPLE PARSLEY POTATOES
4 pounds russet, Idaho or new pota-
toes
1/4 cup olive oil or butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups fresh chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 450E Spray one or
two large baking dishes with nonstick
cooking spray. Set aside.
•
Peel potatoes and slice into 1 /4-inch
slices. Layer them in the baking dish
(overlapping the slices). Drizzle the
oil over the potatoes and sprinkle
with 1 cup parsley and salt and pep-
per to taste (use more oil if using 2
baking dishes). Roast the potatoes,
uncovered, for about 40 minutes, or
until cooked through. Gently transfer
the potatoes to a serving dish and
sprinkle remaining parsley over it.
Makes 8-12 servings.
GREEN BEAN, POMEGRANATE
AND PINENUT SALAD
1 pomegranate, seeds only
1 pound haricot verts (thin French
green beans) or 1 1/2 pounds green
beans, stem ends trimmed
1/4 cup lightly toasted pinenuts
2 Tbsp. pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. honey
ust as in dressing one's self, accessories — in this
case side sides — can make or break a dinner. The
first rule is that if an entrée is complicated (some-
thing with a complex sauce or many ingredients), the
sides must be simple. The converse is true as well.
The second rule has to do with balance. If you serve a
salad that's topped with nuts, there should be no other
nuts during the meal (desserts are the exception). Apply
this rule to fruits (fresh or dry), cheese and strong-fla-
vored ingredients like garlic or raw onion.
The third rule regards texture. Do not serve all solid
textured food or all chopped foods. For example, a
chopped vegetable with a rice di-sh is too, well, chopped.
A better choice is to serve the rice with an uncut veg-
etable, like whole green beans or whole asparagus. Kugel,
a vegetable casserole and a baked potato, is equally inap-
propriate. The appearance and texture of these "solids" are
heavy.
Lastly, don't make the mistake of monochromaticism (a
word I just made up). When you mother always said you
need a green and a red, she was mostly right. She just for-
got to mentions the yellows, oranges and purple. Let's
face the facts. Brisket and chicken are brown. Colorful
foods will entice the eye and the palate.
The following recipes have a bit of everything for Rosh
Hashanah, including those symbolic foods that are served
for good luck in the next year: nuts, seeds, eggs, harvest
vegetables, and sweet sugar and honey.
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
Fill a large bowl with cold water and
2 cups of ice cubes. Set aside. Line a
baking sheet with about two layers of
paper towels.
Bring a large pot of water to boil
and blanch the beans (boil them for
about 2-3 minutes, until tender-crisp).
Use tongs to remove them from the
pot into the waiting ice water. Allow
to sit in water for about 1 minute and
drain well. Transfer to the paper-
towel-lined baking sheet. Allow to dry
completely.
Transfer the beans to large bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and toss
well. Cover and chill until ready to
serve (up to 6 hours). Toss again
before serving. Makes 8 servings.
BROWN RICE AND PECAN
PILAF
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts,
lightly toasted
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped red or yellow
bell pepper
2 cups brown rice (about 1 pound)
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
Heat 1/4-cup oil in a medium
saucepan, over medium-high heat.
Add the onions and peppers and cook
until the onions are beginning to
color. Add the rice and cook, stirring,
for 1 minute more.
Stir in the broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and cook for 40-50
minutes, until the rice is tender (you
may need to add more liquid — water
is fine). Add 2 Tbsp. oil, thyme, salt
and pepper to taste. Stir in the pecans
and serve. Note: You may reheat the
rice in the microwave oven, or in a
covered casserole in a 200F. oven up to
1 hour.
SHORT CUT ROASTED ROOT
VEGETABLES
2 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 cups 1-inch peeled turnip chunks
2 cups 1-inch peeled sweet potato
chunks
2 cups 1-inch peeled sweet carrot
2 cups 1-inch peeled parsnip chunks
2 cups 1-inch peeled new potato
chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 package dry onion soup mix (not
prepared)
2 cups beef stock or broth
Preheat oven to 425F. Combine all
ingredients in a large disposable alu-
minum pan (or 2 smaller pans) and
toss well to coat the vegetables.
Roast, uncovered, for 1 hour. Toss
well, add salt and pepper to taste and
serve. Makes 8-12 servings. fl
For additional recipes, see JNOnline. corn