Wasabi is a rare and expensive root, primarily grown in Japan. It is difficult to grow because it requires a rocky stream or riverbed. The best sushi restaurants prepare it fresh. Once wasabi is grated it loses its complex flavor in just fifteen minutes. More often than not, it is replaced by either prepared wasabi paste, a mix of flavored powder and water, or dyed horseradish, a close relative.
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year (the first day of the Jewish High Holy Days) and is also known as the Feast of Trumpets. The holiday , which is also a day of remembrance, is at once solemn and festive. Joy comes not only from trust in God’s compassion, but also the anticipation of renewal and fresh starts.
The Rosh Hashanah meal becomes more than mere rejoicing as it is also a form of prayer. The table is transformed into an altar to supplicate God, partaking of symbolic foods: honeyed and sugared treats for a sweet year; round foods for a fulfilled year, unbroken broken by tragedy; foods that grow in profusion at this season and those eaten in abundance, such as rice, signifying hopes for fecundity, prosperity, and a wealth of merits.
Dinner begins with a prayer for a sweet year, dipping challah, or other sweet bread, and apples into fragrant honey. Some start with sugared pomegranates, dates, figs, or quince in rose petal syrup.
It is customary for the first course to be fish, which symbolizes fertility and God’s blessings. Seasonal vegetables like leeks, Swiss chard, black-eyed peas, and pumpkins appear throughout the meal in major and supporting roles. Delicious main dishes follow, and usually two or more sweet desserts (such as a plum tart, honey cake, or noodle kugel) conclude the meal.
A few foods, however, are unwelcome at the Rosh Hashanah table. Many Ashkenazi Jews do not eat nuts (because the numerical value of the Hebrew word for nuts is equal to the value of the word for sin). Others do not eat pickles, horseradish, or other sour foods, while Moroccans avoid foods that are black, like olives and grapes (which are considered bad omens).
“Work With What You Got!”
© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved
This afternoon I was down in the west village and stopped into Citarella Gourmet Market on 6th Avenue. The place was packed to the gefilte fish with midday shoppers who seemed to be mostly shopping for tomorrow evening’s Passover dinner. I was surprised to see that they were selling prepared Seder Plates complete with hard-boiled egg, lamb shank bone, haroseth, horseradish, parsley, and watercress. Just goes to show that I learn a lot when I leave my apartment and go on little adventures in the city.
Yom Kippur Menu Ideas
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Jews refrain from all food and drink, including water. It is no coincidence that the solemn day of Yom Kippur occurs in the midst of the autumn bounty, just before the most exuberant of the harvest festivals, Sukkot, the Jewish Thanksgiving. In Temple times, Yom Kippur was the day that the priests purified the Temple and expiated the sins of all of the Israelites in anticipation of the Sukkot festivals. The fast cleanses not only the body, but the soul as well. It is not just an act of contrition, but an affirmation of sincerity. It focuses concentration on the spiritual. I have put together a Yom Kippur menu to break the fast.
Menu Ideas
Starters
Pomegranate-Orange Sunsets
Almond Challah Bread
Smoked Whitefish and Fennel Salad
Cream Cheese and Assorted Cheeses
Fresh Red Pepper Rings and Black Olives
Main Dishes
Smoked Fish: Sliced Smoked Salmon, Whole Whitefish, Baked Salmon, and Sable
Smoked Salmon With Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Tabouli, Tzatziki, Feta, Grape Leaves, Olives, Pita Chips and Fresh Pita Bread
Poached Salmon Served With Dill-Mustard Sauce
Gefilte Fish Trio Served With Horseradish and Carrots
Herring In a Wine Sauce
Tuna and Egg Salad
Domestic Sliced Cheese: Cheddar, Havarti, Muenster and Swiss
Sides
Classic Salads
Orzo, Spinach and Feta Salad
Cous Cous and Vegetable Pilaf
Penne With Tomatoes and Corn
Salad of Sliced Baked Beets, Boston Lettuce, and Fresh Chopped Dill With Walnut Vinaigrette
Homemade Applesauce
Potato Blintzes
Cheese Blintzes
Hummus, Tabouli and Baba Ghanoush
Desserts
Plain Cheesecake
Cheesecake Topped With Strawberries, Blueberries, Mango and Kiwi
Traditional Honey Cake
Cranberry Honey Cake
Applesauce Honey Cake
Chocolate Babka
Cinnamon Babka
Mini Pastries and Tartlets
Tiramisu
Rainbow Cookies
Rugelach
Black and White Cookies
Whoopie Pies
Pecan Shortbread
Blueberry Blintzes
Cherry Blitnztes
Custard Challah Bread Pudding
Fresh Fruit Platter
Passover Menu Ideas
March 25 to April 2
There can be something wonderfully reassuring about sitting down to a dinner so traditional that you will know exactly what to expect. Each family has their own traditions and favorites. They’ve stood the test of time and families look forward to them year after year.
Seder Plate:
Hard Boiled Egg
Shank Bone
Horseradish
Haroset
Parsley Bouquet
Matzoh
Apple & Walnut Haroset
Persian Haroset
Gefilte Fish With Horseradish
Traditional Gefilte Fish With Carrots & Aspic Served With Matzoh
Traditional Chopped Liver
Pickled Herring In Onion & Sour Cream Sauce
Smoked Whitefish Salad
Herring Salad
Crudité of Fresh Raw Vegetables With Dip
Imported Cheese Board Garnished With Fresh Fruit
Chicken Soup With Matzoh Balls
Roasted Salmon
Traditional Brisket With Gravy
Filet of Beef
Roasted Whole Capon With Rosemary & Shallots
Roast Chicken
Free Range Turkey
Whole Boneless Fresh Turkey Breast
Rolled Spit Roasted Turkey Breast
Smoked Fish Platters With Olives, Capers & Lemons
Smoked Salmon Platter
Whole Boneless Large Whitefish
Matzoh Stuffing With Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions
Tzimmes of Sweet Potatoes, Carrots & Butternut Squash
Potato Pancakes With Applesauce
Potato Kugel
Spinach Kugel
Steamed Spring Vegetables With Dill
Herb Roasted Beets
Sautéed Root Vegetables (Turnips, Parsnips, Carrots, Haricots Vert & Wild Mushrooms)
Steamed Asparagus
Glazed Brussels Sprouts & Pearl Onions
Green Beans With Roasted Garlic
Lemon Meringue Cake
Chocolate Torte
Chocolate Almond Cake
Chocolate Glazed Orange Cake
Walnut Date Torte
Cheesecake
Raspberry Filled Yellow Cake
Orange & Lemon Sponge Cake
Sliced Fruit Platter
Fruit Salad
French Macaroons
Coconut Macaroons
Almond Macaroons
Meringue Clouds
Brownies
NOTE: For Baking Desserts Use Almond Flour, Kosher Potato Starch, Matzo Cake Meal or Matzo Meal As Substitutions. Check Recipes To Determine Which Are The Best Substitutions.
Ditch The Plain Sandwich And Dial Up Taste & Health
If you’re tired of the same old sandwich or just want to build a healthier sandwich then try using these delicious spreads instead of mayonnaise.
Reduced Fat Greek Yogurt
Avocado
Olive Tapenade
Beetroot Dip
Tomato Relish
Corn Salsa
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Horseradish
Pesto
Cottage or Ricotta Cheese
Dijon Mustard
Light Cream Cheese
Macadamia Nut Spread
