Happy New Year

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins sundown Monday. It celebrates the creation of the universe and, as in many Jewish holidays, symbolic foods are enjoyed throughout the two-day festivities.

Challah, the braided egg bread, is formed and baked into a round loaf to symbolize the world. Sweet dishes are served to remind us that we may enjoy a sweet new year. Challah and apples are dipped into honey.

Our Rosh Hashana dinner has settled in nicely through the years. Because Jewish holidays are based on the lunar calendar, the Jewish New Year is late this year. I always hope it won’t be too hot because the kitchen is the hive of activity at our house.

We begin dinner with doctored up canned gefilte fish, homemade chopped liver, (my sister Sandy’s favorite), matzo ball soup, roast capon, kasha and bowties, a green vegetable, carrots with pineapple and cake. Honey cake is traditional, but no one in our family likes it. We prefer Jewish apple cake or chocolate cake purchased from a bakery.

Kosher wines have come a long way since I was a girl. We can now find fine award-winning ones from America, France, Italy, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. I usually serve a red and a white.

For years I made homemade gefilte fish. It’s an all-day event and the clean up feels like an all day event following the all-day event. A few years ago, my mom Berthe and I used canned gefilte fish as a basis and, with our own additions, it turned out delicious.

During Passover I bought chopped liver, also known as Jewish pate, from a market. It was OK, but Sandy turned her nose up. For Rosh Hashana, I will make my homemade chopped liver. I always sauté the onions in chicken fat because there is nothing like "schmaltz" to give this dish its marvelous flavor.

Here are recipes for Rosh Hashana. L’Shana Tova! Happy New Year.

Gefilte Fish

Ingredients:

1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cans Rokeach brand gefilte fish
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
Horseradish

Directions:

Separate the sliced onion into rings. Heat enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a 5-quart pot. Sauté the onion over medium heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté the onion until it is translucent, about five to 10 minutes.

Add the gefilte fish with its juice to the pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer. Cover, placing the lid askew and simmer for about 90 minutes. After the first hour, place the sliced carrots on top of the fish.

Cool to room temperature, then place in two large plastic containers. Place the liquid in a separate container. Chill overnight. Serve with horseradish.

Serves 12.

Note from Phyllis: I prefer Rokeach brand gefilte fish. They also offer an Old Vienna style, but I don’t like it because there is sugar added. Each can contains four pieces of fish.

My Chopped Liver

Ingredients:

3 pounds of chicken livers
4 heaping tablespoons of chicken fat
1 large onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 hard-boiled eggs
Mayonnaise, if needed
2 tablespoons brandy, port, Madeira or Cognac, optional

Directions:

Place the chicken livers in a 4-quart saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium and cook for about 30 minutes.

While cooking the livers, melt the chicken fat in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Sauté the onions until they are translucent, about five minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

When the livers have finished cooking, drain in a colander and run under cold water. When thoroughly cooled, add them in batches to a food-processor bowl fitted with a steel blade. When putting in the first batch, add the sautéed onion and one hard-boiled egg. Pulse on and off to get a rough chop. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, and pulse on and off.

Place the liver in a plastic container. Add the brandy, Cognac, port or Madeira, if desired. Blend well. If the liver seems a dry, add 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise and blend well.

Serves eight.

Note from Phyllis: You can purchase chicken fat in most specialty stores, but vegetable oil can be substituted in this recipe.

Carrots with Pineapple

Ingredients:

1 pound of carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (15-ounce) can pineapple chunks in unsweetened juice
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, optional

Directions:

Boil a large pot of water. Add the carrots, lower to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Drain the carrots and set aside.

Place in a serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Serves eight.

Note from Phyllis: Tsimmes, made with carrots, sweet potatoes, raisins and honey, is a sweet dish for the new year. No one in our family likes it. Years ago, I played around with a carrot recipe and came up with this one. You can also substitute 1 (1-pound) bag of peeled baby carrots in this recipe.