THE PARK
LIVING
FOOD
Thrill, Fill, Spill
Balancing the meal will make your
Rosh Hashanah dinner wonderful.
Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
A
t a friend's house recently,
I couldn't help but notice
his stunning planted pots
surrounding his deck and garden.
Each, he said, had a "thriller, a filler
and a spiller." The thriller was the
star attraction - tall and showy.
The tiller was what surrounded the
thriller and "filled-in" the pot with
color and greenery. The spillers were
plants that cascaded down the sides
of the pots.
A similar rule can be applied to
the dinner table, where balance
of food choices, flavors and visual
appeal is imperative. For example, a
meal consisting exclusively of thrill-
ers — fancy, complicated foods with
strong flavors and many ingredients
— is devoid of balance and compet-
itive with itself. On the other hand,
a dinner with only fillers — dishes
that, though quite interesting, can
lack focus. And spillers — I consider
those condiments — sauces, gravies,
chutneys, mustards and such. These
complete the meal.
Apply this to this year's Rosh
Hashanah table (with sweet foods for
the sweet year). To get you started,
here are some thrillers - vegetables
of high color and flavor and savory
sides, and a roast chicken that's easy
but infused with aromatic herbs.
I've also included a couple of fillers,
including a lovely kugel that would go
perfectly with your thrillers.
Roasted Beets and
Sweet Potatoes
6 medium beets, peeled and
cut into 1-inch chunks
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
2 pounds sweet potatoes or
Asian sweet potatoes,
cut into chunks
1 large red or Bermuda onion,
cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the
beets with 2 Tbsp. oil and spread in
a roasting pan. Cook, covered, for 15
minutes. Add the remaining ingre-
dients, except the vinegar, and turn
the vegetables to coat. Roast for 45
minutes more, turning once during
cooking. Sprinkle with vinegar and
serve hot.
Makes 8 or more servings.
Roast Chicken with Garlic,
Lime and Cranberry Onions
8-12 chicken pieces (breasts,
thighs, drumsticks or any
parts you like)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
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1/2 tsp. dried thyme
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup sweetened dried
ileY , C1/4
cranberries or cherries
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Preheat oven to 400F. Spread the
onions over the bottom of a large
roasting pan. Place the chicken
pieces in a large bowl and rub with
olive oil. Rub the garlic over the
oiled chicken. Combine the spices
and sprinkle and rub all over the
chicken. Arrange the chicken skin
side up over the onions and roast,
uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the
roasting pan and stir the cranberries
into the onions. Place the chicken
back in the pan skin side down,
reduce heat to 350F, and roast for
20 minutes more. Turn the chicken
back over, drizzle the lime juice over
and roast for 10 minutes more.
Serve immediately with the chick-
en arranged on a serving platter on
a bed of the onions or keep warm
in a 200F oven for up to an hour.
(Reheat at 250F for 20-30 minutes if
desired).
Makes 6-8 servings.
P
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