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Apples and Pomegranates

A Family Seder for Rosh Hashanah

Kar-Ben Publishing

Shopping List:

In addition to Wine and Hallah, you will need:

Pitted Dates
Pomegranate or Figs
Apples and Honey
Green Beans
Pumpkin or Gourd
Beetroot Leaves or Spinach
Leeks, Scallions, or Chives
Head of Lettuce

Preparing for the Seder

The foods at the seder can be prepared as simply or as elegantly as you wish. You may let the fruits or vegetables star as themselves, or mix them into delectable culinary creations. You will find many recipes at the back of the book.

Arrange eight bowls on a platter and fill them with the following fruits and vegetables:

1. Dates: Temarim

Split each date. Place a walnut in between to make a sandwich. Arrange them in a bowl or plate. Or bake date muffins.

2. Pomegranate: Rimon

Peel and remove all seeds from the pomegranate and place them in a bowl. It's fun to count them if you have the patience. Or toss them into a fruit salad. If you cannot find a pomegranate, substitute figs, which also have an abundance of seeds.

3. Apples in honey: Tapuah bi-d'vash

Here's where Ashkenazic and Sephardic tradition meet. Both serve sweetened apples for the new year. Some people use quinces which look like golden apples.

Slice apples and serve dipped in honey. Or create a traditional apple preserve by cooking apple quarters, until soft, in a small amount of water sweetened with sugar and spiced with whole cloves and rosewater. You can also serve the apples baked, stuffed with raisins and honey.

4. Green Beans: Rubia or Lubia

In India, where my family is from, we used lubia, a long bean pod with many seeds. It is similar to the rubia mentioned in the Talmud, and may even be the same vegetable. Lubia is available in Indian and Chinese grocery shops. Otherwise, substitute any kind of green bean. Boil beans and place in bowl. Serve topped with almonds if you like.

5. Pumpkin or Gourd: K'ra

Cook pumpkin or gourd until soft. Mashand sweeten to taste with brown sugar or honey, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Or just open a can of pumpkin pie filling. You can serve couscous with pumpkin and other vegetables, or even bake a pumpkin bread.

6. Beetroot Leaves or Spinach: Selek

Cut the leaves off the beets. Wash thoroughly and boil in a little water. If you choose spinach, make a spinach salad with sliced mushrooms, orange sections, dried cranberries, and alfalfa sprouts. Or make a spinach frittata.

7. Leeks, Scallions, or Chives: Karti

Slice leeks or scallions or chop chives finely. If you use leeks, cook them in a little broth, or whip up some leek patties. In India, we used an herb called lusson grass, similar to chives.

8. Lettuce: Rosh ve-lo Zanav

Traditionally, the seder concludes with the head of a fish or a sheep. You may wish, instead, to consider the vegetarian alternative: ahead of lettuce! Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Use many varieties of lettuce and other greens and toss them into a salad.

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Excerpted from Apples and Pomegranates by Rahel Musleah, Judy Jarrett. Copyright © 2004 Rahel Musleah. Excerpted by permission of Kar-Ben Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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