Category: Dips

Simanim Coupe

This Rosh Hashanah, I’m putting the Simanim in a coupe—and raising my glass! L’Chaim!

I have a soft spot for taking traditional holiday foods and giving them a little bit (or a lot!) of a modern flair. And lately, I’ve been loving the look of appetizers served in coupe glasses. There’s something about taking a beautiful glass and turning it into an individual appetizer that instantly makes the table feel more modern and sophisticated.

So for Rosh Hashanah this year, I decided to have some fun with the Simanim. Instead of putting all the traditional foods on a plate or serving them separately, I turned them into these gorgeous little Simanim Coupes and I’m OB-SESSED!!

The simanim are roasted until caramelized and then dipped into an addictive creamy caramelized leek tahini, that will make you see the spread in a whole new light!

I love that you can look at each glass and actually see the Simanim. It feels festive and elegant, but it’s also playful—which is exactly how I like to approach holiday cooking! Of course I tied it all together (literally!) with a honey straw and honey dipper that I tied to the stem, so festive and pretty!

L’Shanah Tovah!

Here’s what you’ll need!

coupe glasses
honey dippers
honey straws
twine

Simanim Coupe

For the roasted vegetables:
1 bunch tricolor mini carrots
1 large beets, cut into wedges
1/2 acorn squash, cut into wedges
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1–2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the green beans:
1 cup green beans, trimmed
Salted water, for blanching
Ice water, for shocking

For the caramelized leek tahini:
1 leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
1 cup tahini paste
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon honey
Salt, to taste
1/2-3/4 cup ice water

For serving:

halved and pitted medjool dates
Apple wedges
Pomegranate arils

Method: Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange the carrots, beet wedges and acorn squash in separate sections on a baking sheet. Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the carrots with honey and sprinkle the squash with cinnamon. Leave the beets simply seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25–30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and caramelized.

Meanwhile, blanch the green beans in generously salted boiling water until bright green and just tender. Immediately transfer them to ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well.

To make the caramelized leek tahini, sauté the leek in a little olive oil over medium heat until deeply softened and caramelized. Transfer the caramelized leek to a blender. Add the tahini, lemon juice, honey and salt. Blend until creamy, adding water a little at a time until you reach a smooth, spoonable consistency.

To assemble, spoon the caramelized leek tahini into the bottom of coupe glasses. Arrange the roasted carrots, beets, squash and green beans in sections over the tahini. Add a small fresh apple wedge, half of a date and scatter with pomegranate arils.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

elated Recipes:

Simanim Stuffed Leeks
Simanim Ceviche
Simanim Carpaccio
Simanim Plov
Hummus Simanim
Simanim Fritto Misto

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Rosh Hashanah Dipping Oil

I’m not usually one to follow trends (I’d rather be a trendsetter!), but anything that’s a vehicle to drive myself through a loaf of crusty sourdough is my jam! Dipping oil was making the rounds a few months back, an Italian verson no less! with olive oil, balsamic, grated tomato and parmesan. I never actually made it, but I did drool over it, and clearly it hasn’t left my mind.

When I was thinking about something creative to do with simanim, the dipping oil came to mind, and I realized it’s the perfect opportunity to blend some of the symbolic foods that we eat on Rosh Hashanah, with minimal prep and tons of flavor! My leek, jalapeno and date confit has become a staple on so many Shabbos tables, and this gives you the same feels, minus all that olive oil and cooking time!

Rosh Hashanah Dipping Oil

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp silan (date honey)
1/4 cup sauteed leeks
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp sumac
1 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 tsp flaky salt
zest of 1/2 lemon

Method:

To make the sauteed leeks, chop up 1 leek and saute in extra virgin olive oil with a pinch of salt, until soft and tender. Mix all the ingredients together in a large, shallow platter and mix right before serving.

NOTE: Aleppo pepper is a Syrian chili pepper that is fruity, a little smoky and mild. If you can’t find it, you can replace with any red pepper flakes of your choice, just reduce the amount depending on the spice level (if using traditional red pepper flakes from the supermarket, use 1/4-1/2 tsp). You can also substitute with diced Thai red chili.

Related Recipes:

Apple & Honey Garlic Confit
Leek Jalapeno Date Confit
Simanim Stuffed Leeks
Simanim Ceviche
Simanim Carpaccio
Simanim Plov
Hummus Simanim
Simanim Fritto Misto

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Knicks Victory Fish Tacos!

New York has a way of turning sports into something much greater than just a game. When a team wins, it doesn’t stay confined to a scoreboard or a TV screen. It spills onto the streets, into strangers high-fiving each other, into music blasting from the streets, and people dancing around their neighborhoods. That’s what the Knicks victory felt like.

Saturday night was one of those rare city moments where everyone came together like family! People were proudly wearing blue and orange, jumping with excitement, honking their horns, and clanking their glasses. It wasn’t just celebration—it felt like a reset of the city’s mood and a reminder that shared joy still exists here.

I wanted to capture that feeling in food.

So I built a fish taco that mirrors the colors of the moment: orange and blue, bold and festive, simple enough to eat standing up in a crowd if you had to.

The base is blue corn tortillas, obviously. And the fish, salmon, of course. For the slaw, I used red cabbage (we’ll make believe it’s blue even though it’s more of a purple) and carrots to play into the color story, and add some crunch. For the sauce, I made an orange chipotle-lime crema that really pulls everything together.

The combination is simple, but intentional. Blue, orange, crunch, smoke, acid, heat. A celebration on a plate.

There’s something about making food after a city moment like that. It’s less about replication and more about interpretation—taking a feeling and translating it onto the plate.

Knicks Victory Fish Tacos!

Old Bay Flaked Salmon
4 slices salmon fillet
2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the fish and pat dry. Rub Old Bay seasoning over the fish until well coated and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with lemon zest and juice and sprinkle with salt. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Cabbage Slaw
1/2 small red cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned and cut into small pieces
olive oil
fresh squeezed lime juice
fresh squeezed orange juice
kosher salt, to taste

Drizzle the cabbage with olive oil and season, to taste, with lime, orange juice and salt.

Chipotle Lime Crema
1 cup sour cream (can sub mayo or Greek yogurt)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
1 tbsp adobo sauce
1 clove garlic
juice of 1/2 lime
kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

For serving:
blue corn tortillas
fresh cilantro
lime wedges

To assemble fish tacos, heat the tortillas over an open flame until lightly blistered. Fill with the fish, cabbage slaw, crema and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Related Recipes:

old bay fish tacos
Fish Tacos with Savory Plantain Tortillas
fish tacos with broccoli slaw

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Chestnut Confit

Just call me the confit queen! It all started with the hawaij garlic confit in my first cookbook, Millennial Kosher, a recipe that stained many a Shabbat table – but was absolutely worth it. From there, the jalapeno date confit that my friend Chana Blumes shared with me (and I shared in “confit three ways” in my cookbook Totally Kosher) became a viral sensation. The apple confit from this past Rosh Hashanah stole the show, and now, NOW! I give you: CHESTNUT CONFIT. And why is that so revolutionary? Because chestnuts are usually dry and chalky and cooking them low and slow in oil turns them into the most moist, melt-in-your-mouth bite of heaven, plus you’re house will smell otherworldly! Just make it, trust me!

 

Chestnut Confit

9oz peeled, roasted chestnuts
1/4 cup peeled garlic cloves
1/4 cup mixed chopped herbs (I used thyme, rosemary and sage)
1 tbsp maple syrup
salt and pepper, to taste
extra virgin olive oil, enough to just barely cover the chestnuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add all the ingredients to a non-reactive dish and stir to combine. Cook, uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the garlic starts to brown.

Eat the chestnuts as they are, mash the garlic onto sourdough or turkey, and dip your bread or turkey into the delicious herb oil, or drizzle it over your mashed potatoes!

 

apple confit
jalapeno date confit
bone marrow confit

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Apple Cider Liver Pâté

Growing up as an Ashkenazi Jew, chopped liver was part and parcel of our Shabbat menu. My mom would always saute chicken livers on Friday afternoons, and to be honest, the smell was NOT for me, I would literally LEAVE THE HOUSE. Years later, as an established and curious foodie, I couldn’t help but order the jarred creamy liver pâté from various restaurant menus – it was always paired with homemade jam and crostini and it looked so GOOD. And it was! So, chicken liver finally found a place in my heart (and on my palate!).

The thing about kosher chicken liver, is that it needs to be broiled in order to remove the blood (since blood is not kosher), and it can sometimes render it dry. Cooking it down in some stock (with a hint of wine or cognac), is always a good idea, so this time, I decided to go with our current theme – apple cider! The cider cuts through the gaminess of the liver, which pairs wonderfully with the fruitiness of the juice, making it ultra creamy and oh. so. delicious.

Serve with apple cider onion jam and whole grain mustard for a truly special bite!

 

Apple Cider Liver Pâté

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced small
1/2 – 3/4 lb. broiled chicken livers, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp baharat, allspice, or warm spices of your choice
1 1/2 cups apple cider (not vinegar)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 hard boiled egg

Method:

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions, saute until deeply caramelized, 10-15 minutes.  Add the chicken livers and saute until heated through. Add the baharat and saute to incorporate. Deglaze the pan with apple cider, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan, season with salt and pepper. Allow the livers to cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the apple cider reduces to a thick sauce.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor with the S blade attached. Add the egg and blend until creamy. Transfer to a jar or serving dish and refrigerate until set, 1-2 hours.

Serve with your favorite jam, mustard, pickles and crackers.

VARIATION: You can also serve the sauteed livers as creamy chopped liver without blending into a spread.

 

Accoutrements:

apple cider onion jam
beer mustard
pickled chili peppers
pickled onions
sourdough crackers

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