Rosh HaShanah
by Daniel Rogov
Rosh HaShanah marks the begining of the new year in the Jewish calendar.
It it celebrated for two days on the first and second of Tishrei.
Baked Apples with Almonds and Raisins
6 large apples, for baking
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter*, melted and cooled
85 gr. blanched almonds, lightly toasted
and ground
3 Tbsp. raisins
3 Tbsp. light rum
3 egg yolks
lemon juice as required
In a small saucepan, mix together the rum
and raisins with 5 Tbsp. of water. Heat gently
until warm. Remove from the heat and let stand.
Peel and core the apples, leaving a base
of about 1/2" (1 cm.) at the bottom and
a hollowed cylinder of 1 1/2" (4 cm.)
in diameter. Rub the apples with lemon juice
to prevent discoloration. In a small bowl,
mix together the egg yolks, 6 Tbsp. of the
sugar, the almonds and the butter. Drain the
raisins - reserving the liquid - and add them
to the egg mixture.
Fill each apple with about 2 Tbsp. of the
filling. Place them in a shallow ovenproof
pan and pour in the liquid reserved from the
raisins. Pour in another 1/2 cup of water
and the remaining sugar. Bake in a medium
oven, basting occasionally and adding more
water if the pan dries out. Cover and bake
about 15 minutes longer until the apples are
tender. Serve hot or warm.
* If serving the apples with a meat-based
meal, substitute parve margarine for the butter.
Stuffed Veal Breast
1 1/2 kgs. veal breast
675 gr. stewing veal
180 gr. (6 oz) calf's liver
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 cup chicken or veal stock
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 head celery (stalks and leaves), diced
3 medium carrots, diced
2 large onions, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 slices white bread, soaked and squeezed
dry
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. clarified parve margarine
1 bouillon cube
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
olive oil for frying
Melt the margarine in a heavy skillet and
saute the onions until golden. Add 1/4 cup
wine, simmer until reduced by about half and
then add 1/4 cup stock and reduce again. Repeat
this process 4 times (using in all 1 cup each
wine and stock) and then allow to simmer until
the gravy is thick. Pour over the bread slices
and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to
taste. Mash and mix well.
Mince together the stewing veal and the liver
and mix these with the bread mixture. Add
the eggs and mushrooms and mix well.
Make a deep cut lengthwise in the breast
and stuff with the above mixture. Sew closed
with kitchen thread and then tie with string
in 4 - 5 places. Heat the olive oil in a large
skillet and saute the tied breast until it
is browned all over.
Place the onions, celery and carrots in a
large baking casserole, and place the meat
on top. Cover with greaseproof paper and roast
in a medium oven, turning occasionally and
basting with white wine until the meat is
tender. Remove the paper and roast another
15 minutes until the meat is brown. Remove
the meat and allow to cool (about 15 minutes)
before slicing. Set aside to keep warm.
Transfer the remaining gravy to a saucepan,
add the rest of the wine and let simmer until
the wine evaporates. Add 1 cup of stock, the
bouillon cube and salt and pepper to taste.
Strain the gravy into a gravy dish. Serve
hot. Serves 10 - 12.
White Bean Soup
1 cup dried white beans
1 kg. marrow bones
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, diced
2 medium onions
1 small celery root, cleaned
salt and pepper to taste
Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain,
rinse and place the beans in a large saucepan
with the marrow bones. Add cold water to cover.
On a high flae, bring to a rapid boil and
skim the foam from the surface. Cover, reduce
the heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, opening
occasionally to skim.
Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a
boil again and let boil for 2 - 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for
1 hour. Discard the onion and celery root
before serving. Serve with the bones.
Sources:Israeli
Foreign Ministry and Rogov's
Ramblings. Reprinted with permission.
Daniel Rogov is the restaurant and wine critic for the daily newspaper Ha'aretz. He is also the senior writer for Wine and Gourmet Magazine and contributes culinary and wine articles to newspapers in Europe and the United States.
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