Honey Challah with assorted Toppings

Of course I had wanted to get this post up before Rosh Hashanah, but it wasn’t meant to be. Still, most people continue to eat sweet round challah until after Succos, so I’m sure this recipe will prove useful (and there’s always next year!).

My sister-in-law Ruti used to make challah each and every Shabbos. She was always looking for new recipes, so I bought her Tamar Ansh’s challah book. After trying many different recipes, she came up with her own variation and my adapted version has been my go-to recipe ever since! I truly believe that delicious challah is a result of the love you put into it. If you just dump the ingredients into a bowl and mix it, the challa with turn out dense and heavy. For soft and fluffy challa, you need to take the care to sift the flour and knead the dough. I don’t have a bread machine, so I make my challah by hand. For me, it’s a labor of love. I’m happy to share Ruti’s recipe with you, but keep in mind that your altitude, humidity, and other factors all affect the dough.

Personally, when it comes to challah, I want to taste purely the bread. I don’t mind something sprinkled over the top, but I don’t play around with the dough. However, if you’d like to experiment, here are some filling ideas to mix into the dough before braiding:

– craisins and orange zest
– garlic and rosemary or sage
– raw or caramelized onions & poppy seeds
– fresh fruit (apples, blueberries, strawberries)
– dried fruit (apricots, figs)
– raisins and nuts
– chocolate chips
– olives
– oats

Toppings:

– honey (see below)
– maple syrup (see below)
– sprinkles or nonpareils
– brown sugar
– cinnamon-sugar
– sweet crumbs (see recipe below)
– za’atar
– sesame seeds
– poppy seeds
– minced onion flakes
– minced garlic flakes
– “everything” (my favorite!) : sesame seeds, poppy seeds, minced onion, minced garlic, coarse salt

Honey Challah with assorted toppings
adapted from my sister-in-law, Ruti Apfelbaum

Yield: 6 large or 8 medium challahs

4 packets (or 3 tbsp) rapid rise yeast (see note)
2 tbsp sugar
4 cups lukewarm water, divided
1 1/2 cups honey
2 tbsp salt
1 1/4 c + 2 tbsp canola oil
1 egg
5 lbs. high gluten or bread flour, sifted
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten, for eggwash
toppings of choice (see options above and recipes below)

Method:

Add the yeast, sugar and 1 cup lukewarm water to a bowl and rest for a few minutes until the yeast starts to bloom. Add the honey, salt, 1 1/4 c oil and egg and mix to incorporate. Stir in 3 cups of lukewarm water.

Add half of the flour and mix with a spoon until creamy. Add almost all of the rest of the flour (leaving over 1/2 cup or so) and knead with your hands until your dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is no longer sticky.

When you are done kneading, grease the dough with remaining oil and cover it with a towel. Put it in a warm place (I like to put my oven on 200 degrees and put it on top of the oven). Leave the dough to rise for 1 1/2-2 hours. Pound it down, take challa for hafrashas challah, and braid. When you are done shaping the loaves, leave them to rise for 30 minutes. Brush with egg and topping of your choice. Bake at 350 until golden brown, about 35 minutes. (check the bottoms of the challahs, they should be browned and hollow when you tap on them).

NOTES: the yeast come in envelopes of 3, use 1 3-pack plus a fourth packet from another 3-pack.\
to halve the recipe, simply divide all the ingredients in half besides the egg and use 1 full egg in the recipe.

ALLERGY NOTE: I have prepared this recipe without any eggs, and it works great!

Sweet Crumb Topping:

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 – 1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch sea salt

Mix with a spoon until crumbly and sprinkle over challah.

Honey or Maple Syrup Glaze:

You can mix some honey or syrup in with the egg wash and brush over challah. For more of a sticky glaze, eggwash the challah as usual and bake. As soon as the challah comes out of oven, brush liberally with honey or maple syrup (you can warm it on the stovetop or microwave it to make it easier to spread). You’ll have a sweet and sticky glaze.

Post a Comment

Roasted Chickpeas

After an extended weekend of nonstop meals, I’m sure we can all use some healthy recipes, expecially with the fast coming up.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are inexpensive and easy to find. They are full of fiber, and a good source of folic acid, iron, copper, magnesium and zinc. Chickpeas can be bought canned or dried and are extremely versatile. They are famously used to make hummus, but are also a great addition to salads, stews, soups and pastas. With a high protein content, and low glycemic count, chickpeas are great for low carb dieting. You can even purchase chickpea flour to use in cakes and cookies.

Roasted chickpeas are an especially fun and tasty treat. The beans get all toasted and crispy and take on whatever flavor you choose. The beans can be dry roasted or coated in oil (see methods below), either way, you’ll love this addictive snack. Just be careful, it’s easy to overindulge!

See below for my classic recipe, or, try these other flavor combos that I’ve found online!

Savory:

• coriander, cumin, chili powder, sweet paprika, cinnamon, allspice, ginger
• cinnamon, cumin, chipotle powder, smokey sea salt, smoked paprika
• red wine vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, kosher salt
• tarragon, fennel, roasted garlic, honey, lemon juice
• brown sugar, rosemary, cayenne pepper
• lime juice, chili powder, pepper, cilantro
• apricot jam, wasabi paste, horseradish
• tamari, rosemary, lemon juice, agave
• soy sauce, sesame oil, chili powder
• tomato juice, curry powder
• garlic, pepper, rosemary
• smoked paprika, sea salt
• curry power, sea salt
• garam masala, sea salt
• sage, roasted garlic
• peanut flour, salt

Sweet: 

• maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon
• honey, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
• agave, basil, white pepper, cinnamon
• cinnamon, brown sugar, sea salt
• maple syrup, ginger
• honey, cinnamon
• honey, sea salt

Other ideas: basil, oregano, parsley, cloves, herbs de provence, chinese 5 spice, roasted garlic

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas
olive oil
smoked paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper
salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375. In a strainer, rinse the chickpeas well. Pour onto a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and blot gently until completely dried. Drizzle with olive oil and spices and mix to coat. Bake for 30-45 minutes, shaking them around every 10 minutes or so, until browned and crispy (they should make a rattling sound when you shake the baking sheet). Watch them carefully towards the end so they don’t burn. Leave to cool. Chickpeas will crisp-up more after cooling.

To dry-roast (roasting without oil), bake the chickpeas for 30-45 minutes, shaking them around every 10 minutes or so, until browned and crispy (they should make a rattling sound when you shake the baking sheet). In the meantime, toast the spices in a pan and add oil to the spices to infuse the oil with flavor. Remove chickpeas from the oven and toss immediately with the infused oil. The heat from the chickpeas bakes the flavors just right.

Post a Comment

Couscous with Thyme & Honey Roasted Root Vegetables


I came up with this dish when thinking of how to incorporate some simanim as well as fall vegetables like beets, carrots and parsnips into the Rosh Hashana meal. These root vegetables complement each other really well, and the addition of honey and thyme really rounds out the dish. If you’d like, you can leave out the couscous altogether, but I like the texture and how it turns purple from the beets. In fact, my kids call this “purple couscous” and they eat it by the bowlful.

This salad incorporates 3 simanim, beets, carrots, and honey. Serve it with fish or meat.

>Beets are called Silka, which is similar to Siluk, meaning removal. We ask Hashem that our adversaries be removed.

>Carrots have a dual meaning. In Yiddish, they are called Meren, meaning to increase. We ask Hashem to increase our merits.

>In Hebrew, carrots are Gezer,  meaning decree. We ask Hashem to judge us positively.

>Honey (as well as carrots) is eaten because of its sweetness. We ask Hashem to bless us with a sweet new year.

Couscous with Tyme & Honey Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Beets

2 cups Israeli couscous
olive oil
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
2 carrots, diced
2 parsnips, diced (woody core removed, if desired)
2 beets, diced
olive oil
honey
thyme (fresh sprigs or dried)
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt

Dressing:
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp orange juice
3 tbsp light olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 heaping tbsp orange marmalade
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a sheet pan, drizzle beets, parsnips and carrots with olive oil, honey, thyme, kosher salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until tender and browned around the edges.

For the couscous, add a drizzle of oil to a pan and toast until browned. In a separate pot, boil stock with salt added. Pour stock into pan with couscous and simmer for 8 minutes. Cool.

For the dressing, whisk or blend in a food processor until emulsified.

To prepare, add vegetables to cooled couscous (make sure it’s cool otherwise it will absorb all the dressing) and pour dressing over right before serving. Garnish with fresh thyme.

Post a Comment

Rosh Hashana Roast

A Yom Tov meal, especially a regal one like Rosh Hashanah, deserves a dish fit for a king. In this recipe, a French roast is braised in red-wine with jewels of dried fruit reduced in it’s sauce. I can’t think of anything more festive or delicious for a chag in which we coronate Hashem as our king!

Rosh Hashana Roast

1 large onion
olive oil, for sauteeing
2 lb. French, Chuck, or Minute steak roast
1 1/2 cups port (or any sweet red) wine
salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 cups assorted dried fruit (apricots, dates, figs, prunes)
1/4 c honey
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup water

Method: Saute onions in olive oil until golden, set aside. Season the roast with salt and pepper and sear on all sides (see tip). Pour wine into pot and scrape up any bits and pieces from the seared meat. Return onions to the pot and spread around the meat. Bring wine to a boil over high heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Cover the pot and cook for 1 1/2 hours over low heat. Turn over meat, add dried fruit and season with honey, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer for 30 more minutes. Remove meat from the pot, and cover with foil to keep warm. If needed, continue to simmer the dried fruit until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 30 minutes. Slice roast against the grain and spoon sauce over meat before serving.

TIP: Searing the roast seals in the juices resulting in meat with a nice brown color and moist flavor. For a good sear, make sure the pan is nice and hot. Once the meat is browned, turn over and repeat. Hold the meat on it’s sides using tongs, so that every edge is covered.

NOTE: For a larger roast, increase cooking time (in the beginning, before you add the dried fruits) approximatley 30 minutes-1 hour per lb.

FREEZING: This roast freezes beautifully. Slice it first so that it’s easier to thaw and freeze it separately from the dried fruit.

UPDATE: 9/1/2014: While I used to simmer my roasts over a low flame, I have learned over time that gentle cooking in the oven is best. You may use an oven-safe pot and place in the oven at 350 degrees for the 1 1/2 hour cooking time. Turn over the meat, add the dried fruit and seasoning and return to the oven for 30 minutes (or more, if roast is larger than 2 lbs.). Remove the roast from the pan and simmer the sauce until thickened.

 

Post a Comment

How to Deseed a Pomegranate


Rosh Hashana is full of traditions, many of them surrounding food. Pomegranates are one of the traditional simanim that are eaten so that our merits should increase like the seeds of a pomegranate. I once heard that some people eat raisins and celery so that they should have a raise in salary! Some of the other simanim, like a sheep’s head, I find a bit harder to chew, but bring on the pomegranates!

Growing up, I remember trying to pick the seeds off the membranes, biting into the juicy seeds, and spitting out the pits. But over the past few years, I began enjoying pomegranates all year round, so I learned to deseed them properly. I also learned to enjoy the crunchy pit and no longer spit them out :)

Deseeding a pomegranate is fairly easy.

1. Cut the pomegranate in half (around it’s center, not from top to bottom) and remove the crowned tip from the top half of the pomegranate.
2. Over a bowl, gently press the skin to loosen the seeds from the membranes.
3. Hold half of the pomegranate open-face-down in the palm of your hand, and with a heavy spoon or mallet, tap the pomegranate. You will see the seeds start to fall out.
4. Continue tapping the pomegranate all around, on all sides, until all the seeds have released.
5. Repeat with remaining half of pomegranate.

Once you’ve deseeded the pomegranate, you’ve got to eat them! Continue down the page for some recipes and ideas!

– Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over ice cream or yogurt
– Add to grains like quinoa, couscous, or sprinkle over oatmeal
– Add to guacamole for extra color and crunch
– Add to smoothies for their antioxidant power and tart taste
– Add seeds to fruit or vegetable salads
– Add to chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies
– Add to salsa and serve over fish
– Add to cranberry sauce
– Make pomegranate jam