Rosh Hashanah – Symbolic
foods (Simanim)
There is a tradition at Rosh Hashanah to eat symbolic foods (simanim) these are meant to help ensure
us a good and sweet new year.
Whereas the Ashkenazic custom would be to incorporate most of
the foods into a menu, most Sephardic households hold a “seder” or mini service
after Kiddush and Challah saying a blessing over each food. Over the years I
have sat at both tables and love the creative ways each of the simanim are prepared.
Here you have three simple and quick to prepare recipes to incorporate
simanim into your Yom tov menus and below the recipes you can read about the
simanim, and what they symbolise and their importance at Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah Honey and Leek Roasted Chicken – serves 4 -6
I whole chicken portioned
1 leek washed, chopped very finely
½ cup of fresh parsley chopped
2 carrots peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped finely
4 fresh dates without stones chopped finely
1 table spoon runny honey
2 table spoons boiling water
1 teaspoon good olive oil
Black pepper
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon paprika
Method
1.
Pre heat your oven to 190C/gas
5/ fan oven 170C
2.
In a cup place the honey, and olive oil pour
over the boiling water stir, well till the honey is dissolved set aside till
its cooled down to hand hot.
3.
Place the leeks, garlic, parsley carrots and
dates in the bottom of an oven proof casserole dish with a lid, mix them well.
lightly sprinkle around 2 tablespoons of water over the top to keep the
vegetables moist.
4.
Place the chicken pieces on top season well,
sprinkle with paprika and pour over the honey oil and water mix, making sure
you coat every piece.
(You
can add a cup of chicken stock if you want this more as a casserole but then
add a bit more honey!}
5.
Cover well, either with a casserole dish lid or
with silver foil making sure it is tightly sealed
6.
Place in the pre heated oven, for 40 – 45 minutes.
Test your chicken, (if you cut into it and the juices run clear,
then the chicken is fully cooked. If the juices are red or have a pinkish
colour, your chicken may need to be cooked a bit longer.)
Serve
with rice, or mashed potatoes, and fresh vegetables or salad any leftover
chicken is wonderful cold
Beetroot
& carrot salad – serves 4-6
This
salad is so easy if you have a food processor, really much nicer than it sounds
and lasts 3-4 days in the fridge, great side dish with cold chicken, gefilta fish,
fried fish or salmon
2
small or one medium raw beetroot
3
medium carrots
1 lemon
or orange juiced ( you can chose)
2
tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon
honey
½
teaspoon salt
In
a screw top jar put the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and salt. ( put the lid
on and do it up securely ) shake very
well, until mixed
½
cup fresh coriander or parsley (optional)
Method
1.
Peel and finely grate the carrots in a food
processor,
2.
Peel (I use disposable gloves when doing this)
the beetroot then grate finely in the food processor
3.
In a glass bowl mix the two vegetable together,
add the fresh herbs, pour over the dressing and mix well again.
4.
Store in the fridge (I use to store in Kilner
jars but any airtight storage container will work, but plastic might stain)
This
salad is best after an hour when the dressing has been absorbed.
Vegetable Kugle serves 6
4
red potatoes – peeled cut in ¼ and left in cold water
3
carrots peeled cut in 3
1
leek – washed roughly cut into 4
1
onion – peeled cut into 4
I
large courgette – washed cut into 3 or 4
4
eggs
2
teaspoon sea salt (sounds a lot but potatoes absorbed salt )
1
teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup
vegetable oil
Method
1.
Pre heat your oven to 190C/gas 5/ fan oven 170C
2.
Prepare a
12x9inch glass baking dish. baking pan or 3 loaf tins, by rubbing
the sides with a little oil or the paper from a block of Tomer
3.
Put the eggs, oil, and leek in to food processor
and process till the leek is fine and the eggs and oil mixed put into a mixing
bowl
4.
Grate your carrots, courgette, onion and potatoes, put into the bowl with the egg mixture, add
the seasoning an mix well.
5.
Pour into the baking pans, and place in the
preheated oven.
6.
Cook for 50 minutes, then reduce the heat to 170/ Gas 4,
160 fan oven and cook for a further
15-20 minutes the longer at a lower temperature the better to get a delicious kugel
consistency
The
top should be golden brown, serve hot accompanying your main dish or as a dish
on its own with salad!
The simanim- and what they stand
for !
Honey- For a good, sweet year.
Honey cake, Chicken with honey, honey as a sweetener in dressings or sauces.
Pomegranates-
symbolically used often as a new fruit, but as it contains seeds so it
symbolises that hopefully our year will be full of merits. In Israel I picked
pomegranates fresh from the tree in my shared garden, we would tap the back all
over with a wooden spoon, split them in for and then it is easy to remove the
seeds. Pomegranate seeds keep for 3-4 days in a Tupperware in the fridge. We used
to sprinkle the seeds on salads, on porridge or make juice.
Carrots Gezer, the Hebrew word for carrot, sounds very much like g'zar, the Hebrew word for decree.
Eating carrots on Rosh Hashanah is meant to express our desire any negative
decrees against us will be nullified. Tzimmes, carrot salad, orange soup (coloured
vegetables not the fruit) honey roasted carrots, are all ways of incorporating
carrots in your menu.
Beetroot -The Hebrew word for beetroot is selek, is similar to the word for
"remove." They are eaten to express the hope that our enemies will
depart. Borsht, roasted beetroots and carrots, or beet and carrot salad are
ideal to fulfil this.
Black-Eyed
beans, Green Beans, Rubia, which may refer to several types of small beans, is
reminiscent of the word yirbu,
"to increase." These foods symbolize the hope for a fruitful year
filled with increased good fortune. A black eye pea humas, or sesame green
beans are interesting foods to add to your Yom tov meals
Head of fish, Sheep,
or for vegetarian or vegans a whole head of garlic roasted most people use the
head of a poached salmon, by including some sort of head on the menu is
representative of our hope that we are likened to a head, and not a tail. In
other words, we should move forward and make progress in the coming year grown develop
and not cling on to old habits or be stuck in the past
Fish - the notion that
fish are ever vigilant and swim constantly is linked to this symbol and
reflects the desire to be constantly aware of the opportunities to do good. (Help
others,) Gefilta fish, baked salmon with a leek crust, Halibut in lemon sauce,
are great Yom tov fish ideas
Leeks- are related to the
word kareyt, meaning to
cut. This symbol is linked to the prayer that those who wish to hurt us will be
cut off. The first time I attended a Sephardic Rosh Hashanah seder was in Manchester,
the hostess had made delicious Leek fritters, they disappeared in seconds. Leek
and Potatoes soup, Salmon on a bed of Leeks, Chicken with leeks and Carrots are
ideal recipes
Gourds, (butternut squash,
pumpkin even courgettes) The Hebrew word for gourd is related to the Hebrew
homonyms pronounced k'ra.
One word means "to rip;" the other, "to announce." By
eating these we are asking for any evil decrees against us are ripped up.
Courgette fritters, roasted butternut squash with honey and cinnamon and sweet
potatoes makes a delicious yet unusual side dish.
Dates - The Hebrew word
for dates, t'marim,
evokes the word tam,
"to end," and the hope that our enemies will be finished. Date
and Apple cake, Beef with dates and carrots.
Dates like Pomegranates are one of the seven species of
Israel- wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranates, olive (oil), and
date (date honey) so it is often thought to incorporate them into your Yom tov
meal you are remembering Israel.
Wishing you and your loved ones Shanna Tova a happy and
healthy successful new year.
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