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