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Ten Great Rosh Hashannah Recipes
Chag sameach! That’s “happy holiday” in Hebrew because tonight is the official beginning of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashannah. It is a gorgeous ancient celebration, signified by the blowing of a ram’s horn (shofar) to mark a ten-day period of introspection and contrition leading up to the fast of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is a time for feasting and family, loaded with customs. For me it is a harbinger of autumn and one of my favorite days. Treats are consumed, particularly apples dipped in honey, because they are thought to signify a sweet year ahead. Babble’s ten best recipes for the Jewish New Year, whether you celebrate it religiously or just like to eat good food, are here.
1. Mandel brot: A specialty of Jewish grandmothers everywhere and very similar to Italian biscotti (mandel means almond and brot means bread in Yiddish).
2. Honey cake: Called lekach in Yiddish, a traditional Rosh Hashannah food that is excellent for breakfast and that children love to both bake and eat.
3. Brisket: A traditional Rosh Hashannah main course that’s homey, succulent, and great to serve a crowd. Here’s a braised version made with fresh tomatoes and a slow-cooker version made with root beer.
4. Sweet Potato Mash: An incredibly simple side dish that offers the natural sweetness that is customary on Rosh Hashannah and that pairs beautifully with brisket.
5. Donuts: In keeping with the sweet theme, many Jewish people like to eat donuts on Rosh Hashannah in hopes that they’ll bring a happy new year.
6. Looking for something new to try with apples? Bake this gorgeous puffed apple pancake.
7. Chicken soup is the ideal first course for Rosh Hashannah dinner: If you’re looking for a matzoh ball soup alternative, try this one with quinoa.
8. Great appetizer idea: Crudite with white bean dip which you can serve with warmed slices of pita bread or crunchy pita chips.
9. A vibrant and healthy side dish: Carrot ribbon salad (note: contains dairy).
10. For a different and modern main course, forget the roasts and try hoisin-glazed salmon.
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4 Comments
[...] family, we always ate brisket on Rosh Hashannah (ten great Jewish holiday recipes are here). Now that I’m raising a family, we spend the Jewish holidays with friends. I miss my [...]
Jewish Grandmother Chicken commented on Sep 09 10 at 2:01 pmNakia commented on Sep 07 10 at 5:23 pmEven though I’m not Jewish, I’m making apple fritters with a honey glaze. My mom’s Jewish, and I’m Muslim, so we’ll be celebrating the High Holy Days + Eid. Let the calorie consumption begin!
ccampion commented on Sep 08 10 at 5:31 pmI have fond memories of working as a sitter at the temple in my town during the high holidays and coming home with honey and apple bits in my hair from all the little rascals in my care…
but brisket with root beer in a slow cooker! this I must make immediately!
Happy New Year!
Caitlan commented on Sep 09 10 at 5:32 amWe had an orange/strawberry/pomegranate salad with spinach, a creamy salad with ribboned carrots and raisins and gefilte fish. For the main course we had Apple glazed BBQ Chicken, oven-baked potatoes and honey glazed carrots. For dessert we made candied sweet potatoes and honey cake. And of course we had challah! This year was my first time making the challah and it turned out wonderful!
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