With 2014 marking our 90th anniversary, we decided to take a look back at our history to help you create your High Holiday menu. What you will find here — and what you can download as an ebook by visiting jewishsound.org/cookbook — is a selection from every single High Holiday recipe published in the Jewish Transcript/JTNews. If you’re in the mood for a honey cake, or a recipe for somebody else’s grandmother’s tzimmes, or even a simple challah, we’ve got a selection here plus some fun extras.
Watercress and New Potato Salad
Published in 1994
(Serves 6)
2 lbs Small New Potatoes (red skin)
2 Celery stalks (diced small)
1 small Onion (diced small)
1 bunch Watercress (roughly chopped)
3 oz. Olive Oil
2 Tbl. Whole Grain Mustard
1 oz. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. Celery Seeds
2 Tbl. Capers
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
Salt and Pepper
Steam potatoes until tender. If they are too large, cut into one inch cubes. Place potatoes in a large bowl and chill.
In smaller mixing bowl, place olive oil, balsamic vinegar, grain mustard, garlic, capers, and celery seeds. Mix thoroughly. Pour over chilled potatoes and mix well.
Add diced celery and onions.
Season with salt and pepper. When serving, sprinkle watercress throughout.
Avgolemono (Egg and Lemon Soup)
Published in 2009
This light soup hailing from Greece and Turkey is calming to empty stomachs. Original recipes call for homemade chicken broth, but the canned broth in this version eases preparation at a busy time of year.
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 carrots, cut horizontally into thin circles
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 48-ounce can chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube, dissolved in 1-1/2 cups hot water
3 eggs at room temperature
1-1/2 lemons at room temperature
In a medium-large pot, heat olive oil on a low flame. Add onion and stir for one to two minutes, until softened. Add carrots and rice and stir for another couple of minutes until well combined.
Pour chicken broth and bouillon water into pot. Stir ingredients and cover pot. When broth comes to a boil, lower flame so that broth gently simmers. Simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or until rice is soft enough to eat.
Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a medium-sized bowl until frothy. Slowly drizzle in lemon juice while whisking. When soup is ready, uncover the pot and stir soup for a minute to release heat. Remove a half ladle of soup and gradually drizzle into egg mixture, whisking briskly. (If you add soup too quickly, eggs will curdle.) Repeat this three more times, until you’ve added two ladles of soup to egg mixture. Stir pot of soup again to continue releasing heat. Slowly drizzle egg mixture into pot of soup, whisking vigorously. Soup will appear creamy.
To serve immediately, heat soup on a low flame for about two minutes, until warmed through. Recipe can be made a day in advance, covered, refrigerated and reheated on a low flame.
Yield: 8 servings.
Marak Gezer V’tapuz im Tavlanim (Carrot and Orange Soup with Spices)
Published in 2006
4 carrots, cut into chunks
3-4 minced shallots
4 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp. olive oil
3-1/4 cups chicken soup
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 tsp. fresh ginger
Pinch ground fresh nutmeg
Salt and white pepper to taste
10-12 fresh basil leaves
Heat oil in a soup pot. Fry shallots and garlic until golden. Add carrots and cook, then add chicken soup, cover and cook until carrots are tender. Blend carrots in batches with half the liquid and return to a pot. Slowly add liquid until desired consistency. Add orange and taste. Add ginger, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
To serve, pour into individual bowls and decorate with basil leaves.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Carrot Torte
Published in 1964
1-1/2 cups finely grated raw carrots
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped medium fine
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
4 eggs
1/3 cup hot water
2-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Jam for spreading between the layers
Grease 2 deep 9-1/2 inch layer cake pans, and line the bottoms with waxed paper•. Prepare the carrots and walnuts before beginning to mix the cake•. Cream the sugar, shortening and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in the carrots and nuts. Scald the water, then pour into the measuring cup to cool slightly, as you sift the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt together. Alternately add the flour mixture and the water to the batter, about a third at a time, and stir just enough to blend. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake at 350F° about 40 minutes, until a light brown, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out dry. Partly cool in the pans, then invert on racks and remove the paper. Invert again and complete the cooling on racks. Put the layers together with jam as a filling. This cake is very rich and can be served without a frosting, with confectioners’ sugar sifted over the top instead. Should you wish to frost it, a parve mocha icing would be very good. When you serve the torte with dairy foods a topping of whipped cream instead of the confectioners’ sugar or icing is delicious. The recipe makes a high 9-inch cake and will serve 10 generously.
Saffron Rice Pilaf with Apricots and Almonds
Published in 1996
Serves: 6
1/4 cup margarine
1 onion, chopped
1/8 tsp ground saffron
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 cups chicken stock or canned broth
1-1/2 cups long-grain white rice
1/2 cup dried apricots, quartered (about 3 ozs)
1/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup slivered almonds (about 2 ozs), toasted
Melt margarine in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion, ground saffron and cloves, then saute 5 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat grains. Mix in chicken stock, dried apricots and currants. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff rice with fork. Add slivered almonds and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.
Apple Crusted Halibut Nestled on Gingered Carrot Salad
Published in 1995
Serves: 4
4-4 oz halibut filets
1 large apple (grated)
1/2 cup oatmeal
salt & pepper
olive oil
Mix everything but the filets and place in a shallow dish. Coat halibut with apple and oat mixture. Sear over medium heat in non-stick pan until golden brown, (approximately 3 minutes on each side.) Keep warm and place on carrot salad when ready to serve.
Gingered Carrot Salad
2 cups grated carrots
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 Tbl cider vinegar
1Tbl brown sugar
1 pinch cinnamon
1pinch nutmeg
black pepper
Place grated carrots and raisins into a mixing bowl. Mix cider vinegar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper together. Toss the dressing with the carrots and place on a lettuce leaf on each plate. Top with halibut and serve.
Tajine Bakhar im Shizufim (Beef with Dried Prunes)
Published in 2006
Oil for frying
2 pounds shoulder beef, cut in large cubes
6 onions, cut in long strips
6 garlic cloves, cut
5 tomatoes, peeled and mashed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1-3/4 cups dried prunes
Oil
1 cup almonds
Heat oil in a pot. Lightly brown meat. In a second pot, heat oil and sauté onions. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes, then add the meat to the onion-garlic-tomato mixture. Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric. Cook over low heat for one-and-a-half hours. Add prunes and cook 30 minutes more.
Meanwhile, heat a pan with a small amount of oil. Peel then fry almonds until lightly browned. Serve with almonds on top.
Yield: 6 servings
Carrot and Beef Tsimmes
Published in 1994
(Serves 6)
2 lbs. Brisket of Beef (Diced in one inch cubes)
1 lb. Carrots (Cut into 1/2 inch long sticks)
1/2 lb. Turnips (Cut into one inch cubes)
1/2 lb. Onions (Cut into quarters)
1 lb. Potatoes (Cut into one inch cubes)
1 oz. Honey
1 Tbl. Kosher Salt
2 Tbl. Flour
Pinch of Nutmeg
Place beef in a heavy stock pot over medium high heat, browning all sides.
When meat is browned, add vegetables, potatoes, honey, salt and nutmeg. Cover with cold water about one inch above the contents of the pot. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours until everything is tender. Do not stir pot, but add water if you see the liquid fall below the level of the ingredients.
Mix the flour with 3-4 oz. of the tsimmes stock and return it to the stock pot. Simmer until thickened. Pour the contents into a casserole dish and bake 30 minutes at 350º or until brown on top.
Apple-Honey Cake
Published in 1981
1 lb. honey
3 eggs
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
2 cups applesauce
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 tsps. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Beat honey and eggs. Add remaining ingredients except raisins and nuts. Mix well. Stir in raisins and nuts by hand. Grease 2 load pans. Pour in batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serves 20 slices.
Download the ebook of “Shana Tova!: High Holiday Recipes from 90 Years of the Jewish Transcript and JTNews,” containing 170 recipes for your holiday menu, for only $6.99 by visiting jewishsound.org/cookbook. Ten percent of proceeds will support the food bank at Jewish Family Service of Greater Seattle.