Category: Rosh Hashanah
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Carrot Salad with Mint and Dates
I have always struggled with carrot salads. I want to like them — in fact, I should like them. I like carrots. But the heavy-handed use of raw cumin with raw carrots just isn’t my thing. In Leah Koenig’s brilliant 2015 cookbook, Modern Jewish Cooking, she has a carrot salad that is perfect for me: celebrating…
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Apple Butter
The ancient Jewish community of Persia (modern-day Iran) have a beautiful tradition of dipping apples and challah into apple butter — a smooth apple compote scented with cinnamon and cloves. If honey isn’t your thing, try apple butter instead. Recipe curtsy of Zahava Kahen. INGREDIENTS: Yields about 2½ cups METHOD: MAKE AHEAD: Keeps in the fridge for…
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Black-Eyed Peas in Tomato Sauce
Black-eyed peas have always been part of my family’s Rosh Hashanah tradition, one of the many simanim—symbolic foods eaten with the hope of increase and blessing in the year ahead. Every year I’m reminded of how moreish and frankly un-bean-like black-eyed peas are, and I wonder why I don’t eat them year-round. And then, as soon…
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Roasted Beetroot with Tahini & Toasted Seeds
This salad isn’t just beautiful to look at — which it is, with the contrast between the dark red beetroot and the creamy colour of the tahini — it’s also delicious. If you can get hold of some bright green watercress, the whole thing just comes to life. The earthiness of the beetroot is perfectly…
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Braised Courgettes (Zucchini)
Courgettes (zucchini) are an underrated vegetable—they’re actually brilliant at carrying flavour and make the perfect Friday night or Pesach side dish. The method here is to braise the courgettes in a combination of oil and water, so they develop deeper flavour while still holding their shape. TIP: Use a rubber spatula when stirring to avoid mushing…
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Honey Cake: Tips & History
Tips for Better Honey Cakes: Honey cakes often have a tendency to fail, leaving us with the question of why, and more importantly, how can we prevent it? The “why” is sugar, and the “how” is all about respecting the sugar! The sugar content in a honey cake is exceptionally high, thanks to both the…
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Honey Tahini Dip
It has been an ancient Jewish tradition to celebrate the Jewish New Year—Rosh Hashanah—by dipping challah in honey. Many homes will do so at every meal during the Rosh Hashanah celebrations, and all the way through to the end of the Sukkot festivities. Throughout the year, we often dip challah in tahini, another firm favourite…
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Sugar Cookies
These are my go-to sugar cookies that I’ve been making for years. When our kids were little, I would cut out the shapes of their ages from the dough. After they turned 9, it wasn’t quite as cute! For Jewish holidays, I still cut out shapes from the dough that are representative symbols like a…
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Roasted Sweet Potato & Pear Salad
Salad recipes have become quite a valuable commodity in my world. If you have a good one, people will hound you for it. In numerous WhatsApp and Facebook groups, among friends, family, and even strangers, there’s a constant demand for the perfect salad recipe. I’m guessing restaurants face a similar situation. So, it has become…
