In searching for holiday recipes, I came across the website of award-winning chef and restaurateur Andrew Zimmern. A media personality, Zimmern advocates for sustainable food systems and promotes cultural understanding, among several other causes. He is involved with many organizations and initiatives. He walks the talk, as the saying goes. And food is at the centre of it all.
In arriving at his web page featuring his favourite Rosh Hashanah recipes, the importance of family and heritage to Zimmern is clear.
“Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection and repentance, but it probably doesn’t surprise you that my favourite part is the food,” he writes. “It’s a great excuse to sit around the dinner table with family and friends, and say a toast to the year ahead. To honour tradition, I like to cook dishes ripe with raisins, apples, honey and pomegranate alongside braised brisket or roasted chicken and noodle kugel. It’s customary to dip apples in honey, a symbol that the new year will be sweet. But I will often take those important ingredients and incorporate them into dishes like duck legs braised in apple cider and honey, or caramelized apple tarte tatin. And no holiday table is complete without my grandma’s chopped chicken liver.”
Among the recipes he shares, I’ve chosen two of the simpler ones. For more accomplished cooks, there are many other choices, though not all kosher-friendly, as Zimmern warns. On his website, andrewzimmern.com, there are recipes for almost every occasion. You can also check out the luxury culinary trips he leads, purchase his books and other items, read his Substack, and discover more about the charities he supports.
ENDIVE, CELERIAC & AVOCADO SALAD
(Makes 8 servings; takes 1 hour, 20 minutes to make)
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 medium celery root (about 1 lb), peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp hazelnut oil
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 cup heavy cream
kosher salt
ground white pepper
1 1/2 tbsp minced chives
4 Belgian endives, trimmed and sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
2 Haas avocados – halved, pitted and scooped into 1/2-inch chunks
In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice and salt. Add the celery root and toss to combine. Refrigerate for one hour and up to six hours, until the celery root has softened slightly.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the mustard with the vinegar, then gradually whisk in both oils until incorporated. Whisk in the cream and season with salt and white pepper. Stir in the minced chives.
Cut the bottom quarter off the endive bulbs and discard, cut the bulbs crosswise in half-inch widths. Place in the bowl with the celeriac. Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones with a kitchen knife. Hold the halves in your palm and, using a spoon, “cut” chunks of avocado from the skins and place in the bowl with the endive and celery root. They will all be shaped differently, don’t worry.
Add half of the vinaigrette, season with salt and white pepper and toss. Some of the avocado will melt into the salad, don’t try preventing that. Serve, passing additional vinaigrette at the table.
NOODLE KUGEL
(Makes 10-12 servings; takes 1 hour, 30 minutes to make)
1 lb extra wide egg noodles
4 cups cottage cheese
3 cups milk
2/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup minced dried apricots
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Cook the egg noodles in a large volume of boiling water; drain and cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, milk, butter, sugar, eggs, salt, sour cream, raisins, apricots and two teaspoons of the cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Add the noodles, stirring until fully incorporated.
Butter a large pan or two smaller brownie pans. Pour the noodle mixture into the pan and top with the remaining cinnamon, almonds and brown sugar.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until set and golden brown.
