30 | OCTOBER 10 • 2024 J
N

W

ith Rosh Hashanah 
behind us, it can only 
mean one thing: Yom 
Kippur is not far behind. Given that 
Yom Kippur is a fast day, the holiday 
itself is not associated with traditional 
foods, but it is certainly vital to eat 
both pre- and post-fast.
Before the fast, it is important to set 
yourself up for success, eating foods 
that will sustain energy and maintain 
hydration. In fact, experts recom-
mend adjusting your diet several days 
or more before the holiday, including 
increasing your fluid intake, avoiding 
excessive salt and sugar, and tapering 
off addictive substances such as caf-
feine. 
In this way, the days between Rosh 
Hashanah and Yom Kippur are not 
just a time for mental reflection and 
introspection, but an opportunity to 
think about the foods we put in our 
bodies and how they support us. This 

also allows us to viscerally feel the 
opportunity for change in the coming 
year. 
For the pre-fast dinner, I would rec-
ommend a well-balanced moderately 
sized meal of protein, complex carbo-
hydrates, fruits and vegetables. I know 
that some always drink coconut water 
pre-fast as a good source of electro-
lytes. Try to give yourself ample time 
to eat the meal, which admittedly can 
be a challenge while trying to make 
it to Kol Nidrei services on time (not 
that I know anything about that).
After the fast, the first priority is to 
hydrate and then to take it slow, eat-
ing foods that are gentle on our diges-
tive systems and also can be made in 
advance for quick consumption in the 
moment. 
First, I share a recipe for a spinach 
and cheese strata that combines cubed 
bread, an eggy custard, spinach and 
cheese all in one dish. In particular, 

if you have challah or other bread 
leftover from earlier holiday meals, 
you can cube and freeze it, and then 
defrost it for use in the strata. 
In the event that you need a glu-
ten-free option or just want a less-
bread-based dish to complement 
some bagels and lox, I also include a 
recipe for a pimento frittata including 
eggs, cheese and red peppers. Both 
of these can be made and ahead and 
reheated when ready to eat. 
Finally, I include a recipe for 
rugelach for a sweet treat to round out 
the meal.
Wishing you a meaningful fast and 
a g’mar chatimah tovah, a good final 
sealing in the Book of Life!

SPINACH AND CHEESE STRATA
Adapted slightly from Deb 
Perelman
Serves 6 to 8
Dairy

Ingredients

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped 

spinach, thawed, squeezed of all excess 

liquid

1½ cups finely chopped onion (1 large)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 

8 cups cubed French or Italian bread or 

challah in 1-inch cubes (½ lb.)

6 ounces coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)

2 ounces finely grated Parmesan (1 cup)

2¾ cups milk

9 large eggs

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Directions
Sauté onion in butter in a large, 
heavy skillet over medium heat 
until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ½ 
tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and nut-
meg, and continue cooking for one 
minute. Stir in spinach, remove 
from heat and set aside.
Spread one-third of the bread 
cubes in a well-buttered 3-quart 
gratin dish or other ceramic baking 
dish. Top with one-third of spin-
ach mixture and one-third of each 
cheese. Repeat layering twice 
with remaining bread, spinach and 
cheese.
Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and ½ 
tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper togeth-
er in a large bowl and pour evenly 
over strata. Cover with plastic 
wrap and chill strata for eat least 8 
hours or up to a day.
After chilling, let it stand at room 
temperature for 30 minutes while 
preheating the oven to 350°F. 
Bake strata, uncovered, in middle 
of oven until puffed, golden brown 
and cooked through, 45 to 55 min-
utes. Let stand 5 minutes before 
serving.

PIMENTO CHEESE FRITTATA
From Vallery Lomas
Serves 4
Dairy

Ingredients

2 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 16 

pieces

6 large eggs

Yom Kippur Break-Fast Recipes 
Yom Kippur Break-Fast Recipes 

Food for 
Thought: 

JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

FOOD

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