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FOOD
Holiday Favorites
Rosh Hashanah demands tradition
and some tasty options.
Annabel Cohen
Jewish Renaissance Media
T
his year, the High Holidays
actually begin during summer
— albeit near the very end. That
means, potentially, the weather can be
quite warm when the commandment to
hear the sounds of the shofar is observed.
Though this may create a dilemma
when it comes to dressing for religious
services, there's no question that celebra-
tory dinners will feature favorite family
recipes.
For some, Rosh Hashanah dinner
begins like Pesach. If you're of Ashkenazi
descent, that usually means gefilte fish
and matzah-ball soup. Others, like me, like
to mix it up. Soup and fish are optional at
my table. While I usually serve brisket and
chicken, it's seldom the same recipe twice.
Side dishes are always cook's choice.
So while some things stay the same,
there is variety and newness — a wonder-
ful way to start the year.
Seared Chicken Breasts with
Orange Honey Sauce
Sauce:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. kosher salt
Chicken:
8 boneless and skinless chicken
breasts (about 21/2 -3 pounds)
kosher salt
2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a
small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce
heat slightly and cook for about 10 min-
utes, until the onions are cooked through.
Keep warm until ready to use or chill up to
two days ahead and reheat.
Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt
and pepper, and press the spices into the
chicken to adhere as much as possible.
Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over
medium-high heat. Add the chicken and
cook about four minutes per side. Do not
over-cook. If serving immediately, you
may undercook the chicken, top with the
sauce and keep warm in a 275F oven for
up to 30 minutes.
Serve the chicken hot, with the sauce
drizzled over. Makes 8 servings.
Simple Savory Brisket with
Onions
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups (or a 14-16 oz. can) beef or
chicken broth
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup extra-fine flour (such as
Wondra)
3 cups chopped onions (1 1/2 large
onions)
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 flat-cut brisket (about 4 pounds)
trimmed of visible fat
Preheat oven to 300E Whisk wine, broth,
mustard, garlic and flour to blend in
medium bowl. Set aside.
Sprinkle onions on the bottom of a
roasting pan just large enough to accom-
modate the brisket. Place the brisket over
the onions and pour the wine/broth mix-
ture around (not over) the brisket. Cover
the pan tightly with foil and bake the bris-
ket for about 3 1/2 hours. Chill the brisket
several hours up to 24 hours.
Remove the brisket from the pan (dis-
card most or all of the fat that has con-
gealed in the liquids around the brisket).
Place the brisket on a cutting board and
using a large, sharp knife, slice the brisket,
across the grain, into thin (about 1/4-inch
thick) slices. Place the brisket back in the
pan, overlapping the slices slightly. Cover
the pan with foil and chill.
About 2-3 hours before serving, place
the brisket (still covered) in a 250E oven
to heat.
To serve, transfer the brisket to an
attractive serving dish and spoon the
sauce over (or spoon over and reserve
some to serve on the side). Makes 8 serv-
ings.
Roasted Yams and Portabella
Mushrooms
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 pounds yams, peeled, cut into 1
1/2-inch chunks
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch
pieces
1 Tbsp. fresh minced sage
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2
tsp. dried)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 large portabella mushroom, cut
into 1/2-inch pieces
Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine all ingredients, except mush-
rooms and parsley, in a large roasting pan
or disposable aluminum pan and toss well.
Roast, uncovered for 25 minutes. Add the
mushrooms, toss again. Roast for 20 min-
utes more. Sprinkle with parsley, adjust
salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
Makes 8 servings.
Beets with Greens Salad
21/2 pounds fresh beets, greens
trimmed, but unpeeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. coarse mustard
3 Tbsp. pinenuts, lightly toasted
1 pound mixed field or baby
greens
Boil beets in a large, water-filled sauce-
pan over high heat, until tender, about 30
minutes. Remove from heat and allow to
cool in the water for about 10 minutes.
Drain well and, under cool water, peel the
beets (the peel should come off very eas-
ily). Cut the beets into 1/2-inch dice and
transfer to a medium bowl. Toss the beets
with the oil, vinegar and mustard and
cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
Arrange the greens on individual salad
plates and top with the marinated beets.
Drizzle the remaining juices from the
beets over the salad and sprinkle with
pinenuts. Makes 8 servings.
Lemon Roasted Asparagus
with Fresh Dill
21/2 to 3 pounds asparagus, tough
bottoms trimmed (thin asparagus
is preferable)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
grated peel or zest of 1 lemon
kosher salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped dill
Preheat oven to 425F. If the asparagus
is thick, use a vegetable peeler to peel the
large bottom halves (to make the aspara-
gus uniform thickness). Arrange the
asparagus on a baking sheet with sides.
Combine the oil, lemon and zest in a
small bowl and whisk well. Drizzle this
mixture over the asparagus. Roast the
asparagus for 10 minutes and remove
from the oven (don't worry if the aspara-
gus does not look cooked — it will con-
tinue to cook as it cools). Transfer the
asparagus to a serving dish and season
lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle
with dill. Serve warm or at room tempera-
ture. Makes 8 servings.
Rustic Apple Pie
Filling:
6 Golden Delicious apples (about 1
3 /4 pounds), or Granny Smith (if
you like your apples tart), peeled
and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup shelled walnuts
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter or margarine,
cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
ice water
Spray a deep-dish pie dish with non-
stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine all filling ingredients in a large
bowl and toss well. Set aside.
Combine flour, walnuts, sugar, salt and
butter in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse several times until the butter is
incorporated into the flour. Add the yolk
and pulse several more times until incor-
porated. With the motor running, add the
water, drop by drop, until dough begins to
form a ball on top of the blade. Remove
the dough from the processor and form
into a flattened disk. Wrap in plastic wrap
and chill the disk for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly flour a
clean surface and place the chilled dough
on top. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the
dough into a large circle (about 14 inches
in diameter). Fold the dough in half, then
in half again (roughly into a triangle).
Transfer the dough to the prepared pie
dish and unfold it in the dish (the dough
will overlap the edges of the pie dish).
Pile the filling in the crust and fold the
edges of the dough over the filling. Bake
the pie for 1 hour. Remove from oven and
cool. Cut into wedges and serve. Makes 8
large servings. I I
IN
September 6 • 2007
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