A Perfectly Nice Rosh Hashanah Menu
al fresco!
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Friday, and we’re planning to gather outside for an al fresco celebration—my favorite way to observe any holiday or just, you know, dinner. It’s a bit of a challenge to get into the autumnal apples-and-honey vibe when I’ve still got one foot in the pool and a counter full of ripening tomatoes, but fortunately I’ve written enough Rosh Hashanah recipes and menus over the years to make this one feel mercifully plug-and-play. Thanks, Past Stephanie!
A Perfectly Nice Rosh Hashanah Menu (It’s Parve!)
You’ll find no kugels, no tsimmes, and no brisket on this menu. Instead, I’m going a little lighter with a few classics (challah! matzo ball soup!) and a few new ideas (celery salad! fig-leaf-wrapped grilled trout!) that are perfect for enjoying in a shady spot in the back yard with a cool bottle of apple cider.
Troddenvale Cider — Since apples are such a quintessential part of Rosh Hashanah, drinking apple cider just makes sense, so I’ll be serving a few bottles of Troddenvale Cider, a low-intervention ‘cider of origin‘ made by two very lovely people in Warm Springs, VA.
Cheese & Friends — Nutty aged cheddar, tangy chevre from Caromont Farm, a brie-esque wheel from Ballerino Creamery, served with whatever pickle-y, toasty-nutty, cracker-y goodness I’ve got hanging around. I’ll also quarter a pomegranate and use that to bring in some color and texture on the plate. This Food52 article by Rebeccah Firsker does a brilliant job of expounding on pomegranates’ symbolic significance for the holiday.
Round Challah with Dukkah — I developed this recipe for The Kitchn last year, and I’m still enjoying the batch of dukkah I made to top the challah (I like it on my cottage cheese in the morning!), which is round to symbolize the cyclical nature time (aka a flat circle). Pro tip: Like so many things, this is greatly improved by being slathered in honey butter.
Matzo Ball Soup — MBS isn’t hugely relevant to Rosh Hashanah, per se, but it is the one obligatory dish that I have to make no matter what Jewish holiday it is. I use homemade chicken stock and Manischewitz boxed matzo ball mix, and I have to remind myself every time not to get too fancy with it; she’s already perfect.
Celery Salad with Fig Dressing (Recipe Below!) — I’m giving celery its well-earned moment in the sun with this salad of crispy, salted celery; crumbles of parmesan (not shreds, not shards, CRUMBLES!); toasted walnuts; thinly sliced shallots; and a tangy fig and balsamic vinaigrette.
Grilled Leeks & Carrots with Labneh — Since we’re going to be eating outside, I figure I’ll do a chunk of the cooking outside as well. Here, carrots and leeks get grilled until they’re soft and charred and then piled up on a bed of homemade labneh (say it with me: store bought is fine!) and showered with fresh dill and crushed Aleppo pepper flakes.
Whole Trout Wrapped in Fig Leaves with Green Sauce — Eating whole fish is symbolic for Rosh Hashanah because it reminds us to be like the head of the fish—wise, progressive, wall-eyed. And there’s no whole fish I’d rather eat than Smoke in Chimneys’ trout, which I’ll wrap in fig leaves and toss on the grill until it’s cooked through and beautifully fragrant with an earthy, almost coconut-like perfume from the fig leaves. I’ll serve that with a pretty standard green sauce on the side. You could also roast the fish in the oven, with or without fig leaves, and serve it with the same sauce.
Apple Sticky Toffee Pudding — I created this recipe for Epicurious last year. Though I’m not typically drawn to apple desserts, it would feel like a bit of an oversight to omit them from the Rosh Hashanah dessert table, so rather than resisting, I developed this—a take on sticky toffee pudding, which I adore, blanketed with warm, spiced apples.
Celery Salad with Fig Dressing
Ingredients
6-8 stalks celery with leaves, from around the heart (Save the big ones on the outside of the bunch for stock!)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons parmesan crumbles
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 cup balsamic fig vinaigrette (Recipe below [This post is like 1001 Arabian Nights but with recipes!])
Directions
Thinly slice celery, leaves and all, on a bias. Toss with lemon juice and salt, and refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 6 hours.
In a mixing bowl, combine celery, parmesan, walnuts, shallot, and parsley. Toss gently to combine.
To serve, spoon vinaigrette on the plate, and pile celery mixture on top.
Balsamic Fig Vinaigrette
Ingredients
6-10 fresh brown turkey figs
1/2 shallot
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil as needed (about 3/4 cup)
Directions
In a blender, combine figs, shallot, mustard, and balsamic vinegar. While blending, drizzle in olive oil until you have a nicely emulsified dressing. The figs add a lot of heft here, so you don’t need a ton of oil to get a nice consistency. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.
L’shana Tova!
xox
SG