The Jewish New Year is around the corner. At The Fat Lady Cafe we used to celebrate, both Rosh Hashanah and New Year’s Eve. Not at the same time. Not in the same manner.

Rosh Hashanah is not just a celebration, but more so, an honest reassessment of the past year. It is not commemorated by dancing, late night drinking, dropping balls in Times Square and crowds of celebrants. The Jewish New Year is marked by a sober evaluation of the past year’s mistakes and missteps. It is a time for contemplation.

To help one tolerate this introspective process, there is the Rosh Hashanah meal.  At The Fat Lady Cafe that menu was extensive:

To begin: Apples and Honey so that the coming year will be sweet. Then Sweet Raisin Challah, Chopped liver with a Sweet Beet Horseradish, and Sweet and Sour Cucumbers. Onward to the Chicken Soup with Matzo balls. And then came Traditional Brisket, Chicken Marbella accompanied by Potato Kugel, Tzimmes, and Kasha Varnishkes. The Dessert Table included Honey Cake, Taiglach, Sponge Cake, Jewish Plum Cake and a Fruit Compote.

Every Jewish family has their own traditional way of preparing the Jewish dishes that mark their holiday table as special.

In past columns I have shared my recipes for brisket and chicken soup. Let’s do Tzimmos this year which can be so pedestrian as to be overlooked on everyone’s plate or absolutely divine if made with care. Many cooks prepare Tzimmes with meat (usually flanken) which is browned, then joined by carrots, sweet potatoes and prunes, and baked in the oven for hours.

I do not make Tzimmes with meat because of the many vegetarians at my table at any given year. The following is a Vegetarian Tzimmes that is delicious and can be served as a side dish any time of the year.

VEGETARIAN TZIMMES

The secret to great tzimmes is sour salt, dark brown sugar, and caramelizing in the oven on a slow long bake. Technique is everything and the purchasing of beautiful and tasty carrots and sweet potatoes doesn’t hurt. Many use honey. I find it tastier with dark brown sugar which helps caramelize the entire dish by being sprinkled on top.

In Yiddish, the word Tzimmes means a “commotion” or fuss. I’m not sure what came first, the dish or the expression. One thing I do know: If you follow this recipe, there WILL be a commotion around the tzimmes plate.

Ingredients:

- 1 large onion diced

- 1 pound carrots cut in rounds 3 or 4 lbs sweet potatoes chunked on the diagonal

- Handful of dried prunes and sour (if you find them) dried apricots

- oil, anything but olive, to coat a large pan

- 2 T lemon juice or preferably 1/2 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid)

- Dark Brown sugar

- 1/2 Cup orange juice and more if needed

Old Jewish cooks like my Dad used sour salt on so many things, especially sweet and sour concoctions like “Sweet and Sour Tongue”, etc. So get some. It’s also great for cleaning those yellow stains left by hard water and wonderful in so many dishes where just a sprinkle brings out that je ne sais qua. I used it for years in the Fat Lady Lemonade.

Directions:

Saute onions in oil until just barely translucent, Turn off flame.

Add carrots and sweet potatoes. Mix until coated with thin film of the oil and onions. Turn into a large flat baking dish.

Tuck in handful of prunes and apricots so that they are barely dotted throughout dish

Drizzle with orange juice that has lemon or sour salt mixed in

Sprinkle with a bit of the brown sugar

Cover with heavy foil and bake 3/4 hour at 350 Degrees

Uncover and Mix. Sprinkle with more brown sugar to taste and bake until veggies are soft and top is crisp and caramelized. Add juice if dry and watch every half hour to make sure there is moisture on bottom of pan adding more juice when needed.

Serve in the baking dish, room temperature or heated.

Best if made day before.