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customers a
Very Happy
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(at Farmington)
West Bloomfield

248.539.0505

Open 7 days a week for lunch & dinner

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www.aloumararestaurant.com

Celebrity chef Mollie Katzen offers
new ways to incorporate apples into
your holiday meals.

Mollie Katzen

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amad 8: Janine Kouka
St Staff wishes their
customers, friends &
the entire community a
Happy 8L Healthy
Ne=w Year!

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2398 Franklin Rd • Bloomfield Twp.
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We Wish Our Friends and Customers
Happy & Healthy New Year!

6m ► tlen Phoenix

Chinese American Restaurant

Sugar Tree Plaza

6257 Orchard Lake Rd.

120

September 13 • 2012

■

West Bloomfield 855-35701782280

he traditional foods we eat
during Jewish holidays have
been reflecting and celebrating
each season since long before "seasonal
produce" was even a thought, let alone a
"trend." (Let's not forget that once upon a
time, "seasonal" was all there was.) From
the first figs at Purim time to the pota-
toes and onions (storage vegetables in the
winter cellar, also "seasonal") from which
we make latices for Chanukah, local foods
of the season are the heart and soul of
Jewish cooking and cause for celebration,
no matter how modest the preparation.
Lucky for us, Rosh Hashanah comes in
the fall — when early apples are begin-
ning their long, happy autumn session.

SAVORY APPLES
CASSEROLE
Sweet apples contrast beautifully with
puckery sauerkraut, and the result is
surprisingly harmonious. Both are tradi-
tional foods from Ashkenazic territory in
northern and Eastern Europe, where it's
common to pair cabbage-based dishes
with fruit. Try this with an herby roasted
chicken spiked with thyme and rose-
mary. Note: Use the slicing attachment
of the food processor to cut the apples
in seconds flat. (Just core them and feed
into the machine.) Without cleaning the
processor in between, switch to the grat-
ing attachment for the cheese.
1 Tbsp. butter or canola oil
1 cup minced onion
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 32-oz. jar sauerkraut, rinsed and
thoroughly drained
6 medium-sized tart apples, thinly
sliced (peeling optional)
2 Tbsp. unbleached white flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt, cloves, nutmeg: a dash of each
2 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar
Y3 lb. medium-sharp cheddar,
grated (optional)
1 /2 cup fine bread crumbs
3 /4 cup minced walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have
ready a 2-quart capacity casserole or
an equivalent pan (9 x 13-inch). Melt
the butter or heat the oil in a medium-

This is a great time of year to get truly
creative with apples — beyond the usual
(and lovely) ritual of dipping them in
honey at the onset of the meal. And
while Jewish food tends to be extremely
subjective — with each family attached
to its own notion of what constitutes the
true cuisine (and of course, each family
is right) — my goal here is to bend tradi-
tion in playful ways that break out just a
little (or maybe a lot) from the expected.
With their unique ability to provide a
delicious bridge between the sweet and
savory, apples lend themselves to all sorts
of culinary contexts. (If there is such a
thing as a mediating food, apples would
be it.) So let's take that spirit of bringing
disparate parts together and steer this
familiar food in some unusual directions
for the Rosh Hashanah evening meal. E

sized skillet. Add the onion and mus-
tard, and saute over medium heat for
about 5 minutes, or until the onion
softens. Add the sauerkraut, and cook
for about 5 more minutes. Set aside.
Toss together the apples, flour, and
spices in a large bowl. Add honey or
sugar and mix well.
Now for the fun part: Make the fol-
lowing pattern in the casserole or bak-
ing pan: a layer consisting of half the
apples, then half the onion-sauerkraut,
then half the optional cheese (or not).
Repeat this pattern, using the other half
of everything. Sprinkle the very top with
bread crumbs and walnuts. Cover and
bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and
bake 15 minutes more. Serve hot, warm
or at room temperature. 4 to 6 servings.

CURRIED APPLE SOUP

While tart fruit soups are very much
a product of northern and Eastern
Europe. I thought it would be fun and
delicious to make an apple soup laced
with curry spices, reflecting a mixture
of cultures and geography. It's Sephardi
meets Ashkenazi. North meets south.
And the color of this soup is stunning!
1 Tbsp. canola or peanut oil
2 cups chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
Ph tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard