All of our Jewish holidays have strong food connections – we’re always either feasting or fasting. Not to belittle or ignore the ceremonial and religious aspects of each Jewish holy day, but the culinary customs are an unbreakable bond that unites Jews throughout this vast planet of ours.
Living in Israel, I’m exposed to many of the differences between Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and nowhere are those differences so marked as in the dishes we prepare for the hagim. I have come to love the flavors and appreciate the symbolism.
While a staple where I come from is gefilte fish served with a dollop of horseradish, my friend with Libyan roots would look askance at the thought of eating sweet cooked fish. She dines on chraime, a spicy fish stew, and she places a whole fish on her holiday table – with its head prominently displayed, symbolizing that Rosh Hashanah is the head of the new year.
We dip apples in honey, while a Sephardic custom is sprinkling challah with sugar. They serve couscous, wishing for a year of blessings as numerous as the grains of couscous in a bowl, and we ladle out tzimmes – a combination of carrots and/or sweet potatoes drenched in honey. A Sephardic family’s feast might include quince and pumpkin, and black-eyed peas and fenugreek. At ours, chicken soup with knaidlach is a must, and a brisket might very likely follow.
But one food we all treasure is the pomegranate – that remarkable, mysterious, delicious fruit that has a long and venerated history. Many believe the number of seeds in a pomegranate equals 613, like the mitzvot in the Torah. As a pomegranate fanatic, I can vouch for the infallibility of that belief. What can be agreed upon, though, is that the pomegranate is eaten so that our merits in God’s eyes might be plentiful, as are the seeds (arils, to be exact) in the pomegranate.
Pomegranate Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients:
1½ cups water
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste
1 cup couscous
2 tablespoons chopped mint
or cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped shelled,
unsalted pistachios
½ cup pomegranate seeds
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Roasted Vegetables:
Carrots, Squash, Pumpkin, Parsnip, Olive Oil, Pomegranate Syrup
Directions:
For Couscous: Follow the directions on the couscous package, but in general: add cinnamon, olive oil and salt to boiling water. Stir in the couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand 5 – 10 minutes. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Mix in the herbs, pistachios, half the amount of the pomegranate seeds and the lemon zest.
For Roasted Vegetables: Pre-heat oven to high. You’re pretty free here to use whatever vegetables you like, as well as the amount you like. Peel and cut the vegetables to bite size or larger. Lay them out (single layer) on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Brush with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and pour about ¼ cup pomegranate syrup over them. Mix so that all the vegetable pieces get the olive oil and pomegranate syrup.
Place in preheated oven on high for about 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350 degrees and cook for another 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft – don’t let them get mushy. Check every 15 minutes and turn so that all sides of the vegetables brown.
Mound the couscous in the center of a large serving dish or tagine. Surround with the roasted vegetables, sprinkle with remaining pomegranate seeds and serve.
Pomegranate-Glazed Chicken with Quince, Shallots & Celery Root
Chicken Marinade
6 chicken thighs
6 chicken drumsticks
1/3 cup pomegranate syrup
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ head garlic, peeled and sliced
or crushed
2 tablespoons red wine
½ teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon onion soup powder
(optional)
Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ head garlic, peeled, crushed or sliced
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
5 shallots, coarsely chopped
2 quince, scrubbed, cored & cut into chuks
2 celery roots, peeled & cubed
½ cup raisins
salt & pepper to taste
½ cup red wine
1 lemon, zested
1/3 cup pomegranate syrup
2 tablespoons basil leaves,
or 1 teaspoon dry
½ teaspoon thyme
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine marinade ingredients in large bowl and drench the chicken pieces in it until well coated. Transfer chicken to roasting pan, pour remaining marinade on top and bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until chicken is done.
3. Quickly cook the quince piece in a small amount of water in the microwave for 3 minutes.
4. Prepare the sauce:
5. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, shallots, quince and celery root and saute until the mixture starts to brown. Stir in the raisins, salt & pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes.
6. Add red wine, lemon zest, pomegranate syrup, basil & thyme. Stir constantly, while bringing to a boil, reduce heat and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until all the vegetables have softened.
7. Remove chicken pieces from roasting pan, (after basting with the juices in the pan) and arrange in serving platter. Pour sauce over the chicken, top with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and serve.
Beef/Lamb Stew with Dried Fruit, Chestnuts and Pomegranate Syrup
¼ cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, sliced
3 pounds lamb or beef stewing
meat, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
3 carrots, peeled and cut in
thirds on the diagonal
1 leek, sliced
1 cup beef stock
1 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon dried thyme
grated peel of ½ lemon
¾ cup dried apricots
¾ cup prunes, pitted
¼ cup pomegranate syrup
1 cup chestnuts, roasted and shelled
Directions:
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the lamb, salt, pepper and turmeric. Brown the meat on all sides.
Add the carrots, leek, beef stock, wine, tomato paste, balsamic, cinnamon, thyme and grated lemon peel. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook, covered for 45 minutes.
Add apricots, prunes and pomegranate syrup, stir well and cook, covered for additional 30 minutes. Add chestnuts, cover and cook for 15 minutes more. Meat should be tender and vegetables soft but not mushy.
Anne Kleinberg is the author of several cookbooks (including Pomegranates, published by Ten Speed Press) and a novel, Menopause in Manhattan. She runs a boutique bed-and-breakfast in her home in Caesarea (www.casacaesarea.com), and she is currently at work on a new and very exciting pomegranate book (www.planetpomegranate.com). For more information about Anne, visit her website, www.annekleinberg.com.
