The Sweet Smells of the New Year

As the Jewish New Year approaches I am reminded of the year I started this blog and the preparations that inspired it.  The weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah, the first of the Jewish holidays that begins at sundown this Wednesday, are a flurry of menu planning. Meals are full of the old world recipes that come courtesy of my Mom and remind me of the tastes and smells of the holiday which I always celebrated with my grandparents. In addition, I have begun to repeat some of the recipes I have discovered over the last few years, and am eager to try some brand new combinations that will inject just enough original flavor to mark this as the New Year.

I feel especially accomplished this year as I take stock of some of the more recent recipes that have become part of the holiday tradition in our family. I feel as though the smells and tastes I’m creating will live on for decades as our children grow and reminisce about the holidays of their childhood.  

This all became clear to me right after school started. My son saw me gathering recipes for Rosh Hashanah and asked after his favorite holiday ingredient, Heirloom Melons, which I use to make Heirloom Melon Gazpacho. These specific melons can only be found at this time of year, and have quickly become a family favorite.  

The gazpacho, originally appearing in a Los Angeles Times Rosh Hashanah menu by Tierra Sur’s Chef Todd Aarons, is the perfect mix of savory and sweet.  I made my yearly trip for Heirloom Melons at the specialty produce market and brought home the aromatic melons that fill my house with the sweet smells of the approaching holiday.

Another tried and true staple of our Rosh Hashanah table is the date and cranberry soda bread adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe.  We’ve taken to calling it our Rosh Hashanah Bread, which I serve as a complement to the traditional round raisin challahs. I’ve replaced the milk with soymilk and the butter with Organic Buttery Sticks and added chopped pitted dates.  Served slightly warm and dipped in honey, it is like beginning the meal with dessert and guaranteeing a sweet New Year.

This year I’m adding some new recipes to my holiday repertoire:

• Braised orange ginger short ribs with driedapricots made with meaty cross cut short ribs are just the right consistency, tender and delicious.
• Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Onion withTahini & Za’atar from the renowned new cookbook Jerusalem is a great mix of flavors to suit most tastes. 
• Persimmon Pomegranate salad, which I will likely substitute with nectarines given the early date of Rosh Hashanah this year -- it’s not quite Persimmon season yet.

Here are two sample menus I’ve planned.  Hoping to inspire your New Year – May your kitchen be filled with sweet smells and timeless traditions!

Rosh Hashanah Dinner:

Raisin Challah

Rosh Hashanah Date Cranberry Bread adapted from Martha Stewart's Irish Soda Bread

Apple and Honey

Chicken Soup

Fish Head and Gefilte Fish

Standing Rib Roast

Pomegranate Honey Chicken

Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Onion with Tahini and Za'atar

Traditional Cabbage and Carrots

Persimmon Pomegranate Salad Adapted with baby spinach, and pumpkin seeds

French Green beans with Roasted Garlic and basil garnish

Individual baked apples cooked with wine and sweet crumble topping, recipe courtesy of Miriam Mark

Vanilla ice cream

Berries

Rosh Hashanah Lunch:

Raisin challah

Rosh Hashanah Date and Cranberry Bread

Heirloom Melon Gazpacho

Guacamole

Braised Orange Ginger Short Ribs with Dried Apricots

Panko Curry Chicken Tenders with Dijon Shallot sauce

Roasted Garlic Parsley Asparagus

Yellow tomato, avocado and basil salad

Salad with Fig Vinaigrette, blood oranges, hearts of palm and roasted red onions

Shlishkalach

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with brownies served in waffle cone bowls adapted from this recipe 

Chocolate Chip and sea salt cookies

Berries